Book of Chess, Its Problems, and Its Subtleties

We used to play it in the presence of 'Urwa 'Urwa ibn al-Zubayr (d. 713 AD), a prominent jurist and historian of early Islam in Medina., except when it was evening; then he would say, "Put it away, for this is the hour of remembrance." original: "sā'at dhikr," referring to the time dedicated to the remembrance of God. Al-Zuhri ibn 'Ali said: "I saw al-Sha'bi ‘Amir al-Sha’bi (d. 721 AD), a famous scholar and judge from Kufa. playing chess at al-Khayf" The Mosque of al-Khayf in Mina, near Mecca, a significant site during the Hajj pilgrimage.. And Yahya ibn Malik ibn Anas, the jurist of Medina, used to play it.

And Safin used to see 'Aisha the Hadith-scholar likely referring to a female scholar or a specific narrator known for her knowledge of Prophetic traditions. playing it. It was also said that Hushaym ibn Talha ibn 'Ubayd Allah ibn Ma'mar, who was among the finest of the people of Medina, used to play it and it was played in his presence. It was narrated from Sa'id ibn Jubayr A celebrated scholar and student of Ibn Abbas; he was later executed by the governor al-Hajjaj. that he said: "When I feared al-Hajjaj, I used to play chess with the young men until I was recorded as one of the scholars of it."

Al-Suddi narrated from al-Bubati from al-Shafi'i The founder of the Shafi'i school of Islamic law (d. 820 AD). that he said: "Sa'id ibn Jubayr used to play chess blindly" istidbāran (literally: with one's back turned). This indicates his mastery of the game, because one does not play it without looking original: "zāhiran," meaning with the board visible. unless they have perfected it and applied themselves to it. It was also played in the presence of Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah al-Kindi, the judge of Medina. Likewise, Iyas ibn Mu'awiya the judge used to play it.

Hammad ibn Zayd narrated from his father, from Zubayd ibn Harim, from Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir A renowned ascetic and scholar of Medina (d. 747 AD)., that he used to play chess. It was also narrated from al-Zuhri that he saw no harm in it, as did Rabi'a ibn 'Abd al-Rahman Known as Rabi'a al-Ra'y, a teacher of Imam Malik.. 'Abd al-Malik ibn Abi al-Saqr narrated that Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib One of the most important legal authorities among the generation after the Companions. saw no harm in it and used to play it. Al-Dahhak said: "I saw al-Hasan..." Likely al-Hasan al-Basri, a pivotal figure in early Islamic scholarship and mysticism.