What is the philosophy behind the prohibition of “Gambling” in Islam?

One of the forbidden acts in Islam is gambling.

Allah said in chapter Al-Maaidah verse 90:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ إِنَّمَا الْخَمْرُ وَالْمَيْسِرُ وَالأَنصَابُ وَالأَزْلاَمُ رِجْسٌ مِّنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

“Believers, wine and gambling, idols and divining arrows are abominations from the work of Satan. Avoid them, in order that you prosper”.

Gambling was a game in which two sides were betting with each other that everyone who loses that game, he should do something for the winner or should give him money or other things.

Gambling has special games like backgammon, but betting itself in a lot of cases is forbidden in Islam even though it is not done with the special tools and games of gambling and there is a difference between the decrees of Maraji(the expert Islamic scholars who issue the decrees) about the decree of some tools and games that nowadays many times are used for playing, without any gambling or betting, like chess, but here is not an appropriate place for the detailed Islamic ruling, but lest talk about the philosophy of the prohibition of gambling:

You know in gambling, in a lot of cases, the things on which they gamble, are something which are very precious, like so much money or a house or even sometimes the family members or -God forbid- their spouses etc. and in a single play, one of two sides of gambling, loses his properties.

It is a very shameful act from both sides i.e. winner and the loser; from the side of winner it is very shameful that he takes the properties of his adversary and makes him miserable, and from the side of the loser, because it is obvious that after losing, what a deep sorrow may come to him and might lead him to other faults and sins in order to relieve his sorrow.

It is mentioned in the history that before Islam the tribe of Qoraysh, were doing so much gambling to the extent that they were giving their children and their wives in this way, when Islam emerged, forbade the gambling, and it can be said that for the shame of this act, playing with the tools of gambling even without betting, is forbidden, because this rule is a way to avoid from approaching to such a poisonous atmosphere.

And it is obvious that what a hostility and animosity are created between two sides of gambling and it is against one of the main orders of Islam regarding brotherhood and sympathy.

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Source:

Ahkam.porsemani.ir