#Culture

Podcast: The Fiqh of FIFA | Mufti Hussain Kamani

Published

October 26, 2020

Zeba Khan

It’s estimated that 3 billion people play some sort of video game, whether on a computer, console, or smart phone. For the millions of Muslims included in this number, what’s the halal and haram of this? Is gaming a good thing? When is gaming a bad thing?

“I know a lot of kids in our community who play Minecraft to develop skills. I respect that because it’s now a tool being used for their education.” -Mufti Hussain Kamani

In this podcast, Zeba Khan talks to Mufti Hussain Kamani, a hafiz, scholar, and -surprise!- gamer, about the Islamic perspective on gaming, entertainment, and the fiqh of FIFA loot boxes.

“Do loot boxes and their contents carry any value or not? Is there a monetary value to that Messi card? If it’s all ones and zeros then you can’t technically classify that as gambling, but I believe that’s too simplistic. We live in a world of cryptocurrency. There are things that carry value beyond physical objects.” – Mufti Hussain Kamani

Is gaming halal? Are lootboxes haram? Does Mufti Hussain Kamani play FIFA, and can I join his league? Click To Tweet

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Keep supporting MuslimMatters for the sake of Allah

Alhamdulillah, we're at over 850 supporters. Help us get to 900 supporters this month. All it takes is a small gift from a reader like you to keep us going, for just $2 / month.

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Zeba Khan

Zeba Khan is the Editor at Large - Special Needs for MuslimMatters.org, as well as a writer, speaker, and advocate for social justice. In addition to having a child with autism, she herself lives with Ehlers-Danlos Sydrome, Dysautonomia, Mast-Cell Activation Disorder, and a random assortment of acronyms that collectively translate to chronic illness and progressive disability. She is also an enthusiastic student of martial arts.

1 Comment

Maryam

December 16, 2020 at 2:57 PM

Honest question: Is playing video games appropriate? Even though I live in the West, I did not grow up here and am older so maybe I don’t have the right context. From the little I know, video games seem to be an incredible waste of time and something we should stay away from. My parents and elders used to caution me from not wasting time on video games. Maybe things have changed now and video games are beneficial and a good use of our time?

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