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Kur’an’da oyun, geçtiği her yerde ya negatif ya da en iyi ihtimalle nötr bir anlamla yüklü:
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Fakat bu iki kelimeden anlaşılan bizim günümüzde kullandığımız anlamda oyun mu?
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El-İbriz’de dama ve satrançla ilgili şu pasaj var:
And I asked him-God be pleased with him-about the game called checkers (al-dama) We’d just passed some people playing the game and so I asked him for a judgement about playing checkers. He replied-God be pleased with him: ‘It’s forbidden.’ I asked: ‘Why is that?’ He replied: ‘All forbidden things are forbidden for one reason only which is because of what they contain that cuts one off from God the Sublime. Everything which cuts the bondsman off from God the Sublime and which the Lawgiver (Mu1)ammad) saw no purpose in, God forbids.’ He said: ‘And this game has only one use, namely to distract from God the Sublime. Indeed, you see that those who play it become absorbed in it heart and soul so that at that moment all the eyes of their bodies are obstructed from God the Sublime.’ I said: ‘The same is true of learning to shoot, horse riding and other such instruments of war. They entail being cut off from God the Sublime when one is engaged in them.’ But he replied: ‘These aren’t like the game just mentioned. Indeed, the Lawgiver saw no purpose in it and it doesn’t bring the bondsman any benefit to his body, by contrast to shooting, horse riding and other such instruments of war. Learning the latter is part of preparing one’s strength as commanded in God the Sublime’s words: “And prepare for them whatever strength and strings of horses you can” (8/60). And everything desired by the Lawgiver or suitable for him to desire doesn’t cut one off from God the Sublime.’ He said-God be pleased with him: ‘That’s why they disagree about chess. Some permit it in view of what it contains with regard to learning the nature of war and in view of other things it contains. So it’s suitable to be desired by the Lawgiver. But some reject it, considering that the Lawgiver’s desire with regard to learning the nature of war and other things isn’t especially based on this method, but is achieved in another way which is clearer and easier than this. That’s why chess is “lighter” than checkers. But God the Sublime knows best!’