And he (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked regarding two men who disagree about chess: one of them says that it is forbidden, while the other says that it keeps one from gossiping and looking at other people, although it is permissible – which one of them is right? And he answered: Praise be to Allah Lord of the worlds! Now then, if it is for money, or implies abandoning a duty, such as delaying prayer past its time or forfeiting its duties, or neglecting the necessary interests of one’s household, or anything else of that which is required of Muslims, then indeed it is forbidden by universal consensus of Muslims. And similarly if it implies lying or oppression or anything else that is forbidden, then it is unanimously forbidden. But even if none of that is present, scholars at large, such as Malik and his companions, Abu Hanifa and his companions, Ahmad ibn Hanbal and his companions, and many of the companions of Al-Shafi’i, consider it forbidden. These people say: Indeed Al-Shafi’i did not state with certainty that it is permissible, but he disliked it. It is said that he said: It has not been made fully clear to me why it should be forbidden. Al-Bayhaqi is the most knowledgeable in hadith of the companions of Al-Shafi’i, and the one who upheld him the most. He mentioned the consensus of the Companions in forbidding it – from ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, and Abu Sa’id, and Ibn ‘Umr, and Ibn ‘Abbas, and Abu Musa, and ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her). There is no dispute reported among the Companions regarding this; and anyone who claims that one of the Companions allowed it – he is mistaken.