Is playing with dice haram?
Playing with dice occurs in various board games. For example, think of Monopoly or backgammon.
Dice games were played often in the past, perhaps even more often than now. It was played with or without gambling. Gambling is prohibited in Islam, board games that include gambling are haram.
But what about playing with dice where a person does not gamble, but just enjoys playing fun games with his family or friends? In this article you will learn more about the ruling of dice.
Salaf Saliheen on the permissibility of playing dice
شهادة أهل اللعب (قال الشافعي) رحمه الله تعالى: يكره من وجه الخبر اللعب بالنرد أكثر مما يكره اللعب بشئ من الملاهي ولا نحب اللعب بالشطرنج وهو أخف من النرد
[كتاب الأم - الإمام الشافعي - ج ٦ - الصفحة ٢٢٤]
Imam Shafi'i considers dice more hateful than the other forms of games and entertainment.
[Kitab al-Umm 6/224]
حدثني صالح، حدثني علي، سمعت يحيى يقول: دخل محمد بن إسحاق على الأعمش، فكلموه فيه ونحن قعود، ثم خرج الأعمش وتركه في البيت. فلما ذهب قال الأعمش: قلت له: شقيق، فقال، قل: أبو وائل، قال:
وقال، زودني من حديثك حتى آتي به المدنية. قال: قلت: صار حديثي طعاما. وكنت آتي شقيق بن سلمة، وبنو عمه يلعبون بالنرد والشطرنج، فيقول: سمعت أسامة بن زيد، وسمعت عبد الله، وهم لا يدرون فيم نحن؟
[سير أعلام النبلاء - الذهبي - ج ٦ - الصفحة ٢٣١]
Al-A'mash said: “I came to Shaqiq ibn Salamah and his cousins were playing chess and dice.”
[Siyar A'lam al-Nubalaa 6/231]
Chess is also a game that is well known, see the ruling of chess here.
حدّثنا إسحاق بن راهويه قال: أخبرنا النّضر بن شميل قال؛ حدّثنا شعبة عن عبد ربه قال: سمعت سعيد بن المسيب وسئل عن اللعب بالنّرد فقال: إذا لم يكن قمارا فلا يأس.
[ص445 - كتاب عيون الأخبار]
Sa'eed Ibn Al-Musayyib said: "As for playing dice without gambling, there is nothing wrong with that."
[Kitab 'Uyun al-Akhbar page 445]
قال إسحاق: إن كان لعبه على غير معنى القمار يريد به التعليم والمكايدة فهو مكروه، ولا يبلغ ذلك إسقاط شهادته.
[ص445 - كتاب عيون الأخبار]
Ishaq Ibn Rahawayh said: "If the playing of dice is played without gambling, then this is considered a matter that is makruh."
[Kitab 'Uyun al-Akhbar page 445]
The scholars saw games like dice and chess as makruh when played frequently. They believed that a Muslim should not engage in unnecessary amount of entertainment.
Playing dice without doing so often is considered a permissible thing. This becomes makruh when a person becomes addicted to it, and it becomes haram when there is betting/gambling involved.