Are Ludo and Other Common Games Permissible in Sharīʿah? A Detailed Answer
Source: Aḥkām wa Masāʾil – Issues of Jihād & Leadership, Vol. 1, Page 455
❖ Question
In free time, people often play different types of games. Are such games permissible in Sharīʿah if no betting or gambling is involved, such as Ludo and others?
❖ Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, Ammā Baʿd!
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«لاَ سَبَقَ إِلاَّ فِیْ نَصْلٍ أَوْ خُفٍّ أَوْ حَافِرٍ»
(“There is no [lawful] competition with stakes except in archery, camel racing, or horse racing.” – Mishkāt, Kitāb al-Jihād, Bāb Iʿdād Ālat al-Jihād, al-Faṣl al-Thānī, Ḥadīth 3874)
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ also said:
«كُلُّ شَيْءٍ يَلْهُوْ بِهِ الرَّجُلُ بَاطِلٌ إِلاَّ رَمْيَهُ بِقَوْسِهِ، وَتَأْدِيْبَهُ فَرَسَهُ، وَمُلَاعَبَتَهُ امْرَأَتَهُ فَإِنَّهُنَّ مِنَ الْحَقِّ»
(“Everything a man engages in for amusement is false, except his practice with his bow, training his horse, and playing with his wife—for these are from the truth.” – Mishkāt, Kitāb al-Jihād, Bāb Iʿdād Ālat al-Jihād, al-Faṣl al-Thānī, Ḥadīth 3872)
◈ Ruling in Light of These Aḥādīth
From these narrations it becomes clear that:
✔ Only those games are deemed permissible which either serve as preparation for jihād or are recognized as legitimate forms of recreation in Sharīʿah.
✘ Games such as Ludo, football, volleyball, cricket, gilli-danda, and similar pastimes do not fall into this category, as they are neither part of jihād training nor is their legitimacy established by any Sharʿi evidence.
هٰذَا مَا عِندِی وَاللّٰہُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَاب
