Playing cards

Question

A man says: “I play cards only to amuse my heart, and no wager of any kind is set in it, just as with other games such as football, volleyball, hockey, cricket and so on. So what is the reason for it being wrong, when no wager or the like is laid in it?” Is it permissible for him to play cards in this form?

Answer

In cricket, hockey and the like there is permission in view of a valid purpose (all of these are not purely prohibited), unlike cards, in which this valid purpose is not present; moreover, they can become a means of gambling (qimar) for others.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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