Is Pokemon Cards Gambling in Islam? Most Satisfying Answer
C.J Ahmed-04.04.2023
Pokemon cards is a form of card trading between players to play Pokemon. As far as Islam is concerned, trading such cards is not gambling because it is used only to play unlike games such as casiono roulette and so on.
The main argument against playing Pokémon is that playing Pokémon will corrupt the belief of a Muslim and make him deviant because it contains statements of Shirk and Kufr. To answer this, we have to understand the argument in the right perspective. Giving blanket fatwas and saying that it is haram does not prove anything. First of all. The person who is guided by Allah cannot be misguided by anyone else. Allah (Swt) says in the Quran:
"And whom Allah guides, there is none that can lead him astray"
(Al-Quran-39:37)
Some will try to say that these movies or dramas contain stories of idols worship, soothsaying, certain things that are forbidden in Islam etc. and by watching such movies or soap operas; a Muslim could get drawn to all these sins. I do agree that many of these films do contain Shirk, kufr and all sorts of deviations but there is a big difference between watching a person worshipping an idol and actually doing it. A Muslim whose aqeada is not sound or his/her Iman is weak can fall prey to such deviations portrayed in a movie but still that depends on the individual and giving a blanket fatwa is clearly wrong.
Narrated by Abu Hurayrah (Rali):
A man asked the Prophet (Sal) whether one who was fasting could embrace (his wife) and he gave him permission; but when another man came to him, and asked him, he forbade him. The one to whom he gave permission was an old man and the one whom he forbade was a youth.
(Abu Dawud-Graded Hasan-Sahih by Albani)
The above hadith is clear proof that forbiddence does not apply to everyone and differs specifically from person to person. There is no evidence in the Quran or authentic hadiths stating that watching something entertaining is haram. If so, then the prophet (Sal) would have forbidden Aisha (Rali) from watching the Ethiopians dancing in the mosques with spears. A person can listen or look at a non-Muslim engaging in idolatry practices without supporting or engaging in it. The evidence is as follows.
Auf b. Malik Ashja'i reported we practice incantation in the pre-Islamic days and we said:
"Allah's Messenger. What is your opinion about it? He said: Let me know your incantation and said: There is no harm in the incantation which does not have Shirk in them are fine"(Sahih Muslim)
If listening or looking at Shirk was forbidden, then the prophet (Sal) would have forbidden the companion but he allowed the incantation to be said to determine whether it was shirk or not. Abu Hurayrah (Rali) narrated:
The people of the Book used to read the Torah in Hebrew and then explain it in Arabic to the Muslims. Allah's Messenger (sal) said (to the Muslims). "Do not believe the people of the Book, nor disbelieve them, but say, 'We believe in Allah and whatever is revealed to us, and whatever is revealed to you.' "
(Sahih Al Bukhari)
In the above hadith, the prophet (Sal) did not forbid the Muslims from listening to what the Jews and Christians were preaching in the Torah or Bible. I advised the Muslims to say 'We believe in Allah and whatever is revealed to us, and whatever is revealed to you.' "
Ultra puritanism has crept the Muslim community because they have forgotten to stick to the Quran and the Sunnah as understood by the early generation of Muslims who were the Salafus Saliheen. As a result of various innovators who have started to spread Bidah, shirk and Kufr, the hapless youth have been brainwashed in to believing in rubbish that has no basis in Islam. One such nonsense is the wrong thinking that eating artificial pork is haram in Islam. Nowhere in the Quran or the authentic hadiths does it say that entertainment modes such as playing Pokémon are haram. Islam is a very easy religion and extremism has no place in Islam. The prophet (Sal) said,
“None makes the religion difficult except that it overcomes him. So, aim for what is right, stick to the moderate way"
(Bukhari)
Narrated by Ibn Masud (Rali),
The prophet (Sal) said,
"Beware! The extremists perished," saying it three times."
(Abu Dawud-Graded Sahih by Albani)
Pokemon cards is not gambling a there is nothing haram in using them.
Pokemon cards is a form of card trading between players to play Pokemon. As far as Islam is concerned, trading such cards is not gambling because it is used only to play unlike games such as casiono roulette and so on.
The main argument against playing Pokémon is that playing Pokémon will corrupt the belief of a Muslim and make him deviant because it contains statements of Shirk and Kufr. To answer this, we have to understand the argument in the right perspective. Giving blanket fatwas and saying that it is haram does not prove anything. First of all. The person who is guided by Allah cannot be misguided by anyone else. Allah (Swt) says in the Quran:
"And whom Allah guides, there is none that can lead him astray"
(Al-Quran-39:37)
Some will try to say that these movies or dramas contain stories of idols worship, soothsaying, certain things that are forbidden in Islam etc. and by watching such movies or soap operas; a Muslim could get drawn to all these sins. I do agree that many of these films do contain Shirk, kufr and all sorts of deviations but there is a big difference between watching a person worshipping an idol and actually doing it. A Muslim whose aqeada is not sound or his/her Iman is weak can fall prey to such deviations portrayed in a movie but still that depends on the individual and giving a blanket fatwa is clearly wrong.
Narrated by Abu Hurayrah (Rali):
A man asked the Prophet (Sal) whether one who was fasting could embrace (his wife) and he gave him permission; but when another man came to him, and asked him, he forbade him. The one to whom he gave permission was an old man and the one whom he forbade was a youth.
(Abu Dawud-Graded Hasan-Sahih by Albani)
The above hadith is clear proof that forbiddence does not apply to everyone and differs specifically from person to person. There is no evidence in the Quran or authentic hadiths stating that watching something entertaining is haram. If so, then the prophet (Sal) would have forbidden Aisha (Rali) from watching the Ethiopians dancing in the mosques with spears. A person can listen or look at a non-Muslim engaging in idolatry practices without supporting or engaging in it. The evidence is as follows.
Auf b. Malik Ashja'i reported we practice incantation in the pre-Islamic days and we said:
"Allah's Messenger. What is your opinion about it? He said: Let me know your incantation and said: There is no harm in the incantation which does not have Shirk in them are fine"(Sahih Muslim)
If listening or looking at Shirk was forbidden, then the prophet (Sal) would have forbidden the companion but he allowed the incantation to be said to determine whether it was shirk or not. Abu Hurayrah (Rali) narrated:
The people of the Book used to read the Torah in Hebrew and then explain it in Arabic to the Muslims. Allah's Messenger (sal) said (to the Muslims). "Do not believe the people of the Book, nor disbelieve them, but say, 'We believe in Allah and whatever is revealed to us, and whatever is revealed to you.' "
(Sahih Al Bukhari)
In the above hadith, the prophet (Sal) did not forbid the Muslims from listening to what the Jews and Christians were preaching in the Torah or Bible. I advised the Muslims to say 'We believe in Allah and whatever is revealed to us, and whatever is revealed to you.' "
Ultra puritanism has crept the Muslim community because they have forgotten to stick to the Quran and the Sunnah as understood by the early generation of Muslims who were the Salafus Saliheen. As a result of various innovators who have started to spread Bidah, shirk and Kufr, the hapless youth have been brainwashed in to believing in rubbish that has no basis in Islam. One such nonsense is the wrong thinking that eating artificial pork is haram in Islam. Nowhere in the Quran or the authentic hadiths does it say that entertainment modes such as playing Pokémon are haram. Islam is a very easy religion and extremism has no place in Islam. The prophet (Sal) said,
“None makes the religion difficult except that it overcomes him. So, aim for what is right, stick to the moderate way"
(Bukhari)
Narrated by Ibn Masud (Rali),
The prophet (Sal) said,
"Beware! The extremists perished," saying it three times."
(Abu Dawud-Graded Sahih by Albani)
Pokemon cards is not gambling a there is nothing haram in using them.