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CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful, the Creator and
Sustainer of universe and all that exist in it, the One Who guides whom
He wishes and misguides the one He wishes with His justice. May His
peace, blessings, and salutations be to the Noble Prophet and the best
of creature Muhammad (S.A.W.), his households, companions and all
those who follow their footsteps with good deeds until the day of
judgments.
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY:
This research work centers on the effects of modern games on
Muslims’ youths in Gwandu Local Government.
Islam is a complete way of life which provides guidance in all aspects of
human life be it social, political, economic, and religious or any other
aspect of human life one may think of. In line with these provision of
the lawful and unlawful things was made for the goodness mankind in
both here now i.e world and hereafter.
Modern games happened to be under unlawful things as it will be
pointed out by the Qur’an and Hadith of the Prophet (S.A.W.) as well as
the major opinions of the scholar’s i.e Qiyas. Most of the modern kinds
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of games were created for competitive purposes and distraction of
peoples’ attention for or against. In respect to this, these modern games
created by the western world were aimed at diverting people particularly
the Muslims from their important daily routines essential to their lives.
But to some people their establishment is of great importance due to
their creation of physical fitness as if the people before their emergence
suffered from their deficiency.
These games include football, lawn tennis, table tennis, volleyball,
snooker, among others .All these games are mostly being played along
the streets of cities, towns, and villages in our localities and in the
course of carrying out these games people are occupied to the extent
they neglect their daily routines like going to the Islamiyyah schools in
the case of our younger ones or refusing to perform their prayers at
stipulated times and procedures; thus affecting their future carrier as
well as exposing them new culture of nudity by their dress code.
For us to know how their effect may be to the Muslim youths, we
need to give a glance to some of these modern games and how they are
played.
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1.1.1 FOOTBALL:
It is one of the modern games that is being played by two teams
or sets in a match, each containing eleven personalities that are called
players. From the two opposing sides exists a goal poles which is
regarded as scoring point where the team that score highest number of
goals (i.e by a strike of the ball and its passage between one of these two
goal poles) emerge as winning team.
Besides this exists a referee who oversees the proper and smooth
continuity of the match with the help of two linesmen who serve as an
assistants to him in accordance to the set rules .It is also called soccer
and its history was said to have dated back to 500 BC in the previous
civilizations like the Chinese and Egyptians’. Later the Romans started
to play it for all over their empire and spread it to England from where it
fascinated the English people, hitherto it receive some modifications
from one place to another.
1.1.2 TABLE TENNIS:
It is one of the modern games or sport similar to tennis that
involves the hitting of a light plastic ball across a table (fashioned like a
mini tennis court ) by racquets which will be held by players facing
each other with the strikes to let one of them be the victorious.
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With a little clarification to few among these modern games we
can realize how defective these games are on the Muslims’ youths, as
they are exposed to a new culture of nudity and immorality which are
discouraged Islamically.
The amount of hatred they cast in the hearts of their fanatics and
the players are higher than the benefits they claim to gain through
physical exercise.
The religion of Islam does not leave the stone unreturned
pertaining to modern games by keeping silence, thus it negates anything
which bring highest negative effects like how modern games do through
opening gates to evil deeds. For instance how men and women are
merged together while watching games and the waste of resource and
time in less or unimportant affair. Allah says in the Qur’an with
regards to these modern games in our world:
“Nothing is life of this world but play and amusement but the best home is in the hereafter for those who are righteous will you not understand.”1
He (Allah) says:
“What is the life of this world but amusement and play but verily the
home in the hereafter that is the life indeed, if they but knew”2
1 Qur’an, 6:36.
2 Qur’an, 29:64
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In another verse Allah says:
“The life of this world is but a play and amusement, and if you believe and guard against evil, He will grant you your recompense and will not ask of you (to give up) your possessions”.3
In the eyes of Sunnah modern games are not recognized as praise
worthy acts as they are played contemporarily because he (S.A.W) was
reported to have said on them, as narrated on the authority of Uqbah bin
Amir reported that the Prophet (S.A. W.) says:
“Everything with which a man plays is unlawful except his shooting with
arrows, his training with his horse and his playing with his wife.”4
Abdullahi bin Umar narrated that the Prophet (S.A.W) said that:
“Teach your sons swimming and archery and teach your daughters
sewing”.5
Good health through physical exercise is a means of undertaking
Islamic jihad with sword (saif) as a result of the above mentioned
exemptions that were clarified showing that anything outside this scope
is not recognized, thus it has been observed that jihad:
3 Qur’an 47:36
4 Sahih Al Bukhari, Vol. 8, Page 545.
5 Ibid Vol. 8, Page 339.
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Is to strive whatever possible to man’s effort for the spread of
Allah’s everlasting and perfected guidance by any means. In other
words, it means one can undertake the jihad by preaching the Islamic
words of truths, by writing an Islamic message and disseminating
knowledge as well as by using one’s wealth or influence to further the
cause of Allah and His religion.
The last resort for spreading this guidance is to make use of force
if all other avenues and means were suppressed or proved abortive.
Islamic shari’ah accorded some of the sports and exercise activities
which were encouraged by the Prophet(S.A.W) such as running/jugging,
house racing, archery, fence wrestling, weight lifting e.t.c. because they
contribute in the cause and as we can cite an instance to the traditions of
the Prophet(S.A.W):
“Ride horses for they are the legacy of your father Isma’il”.
Therefore in Islam physical exercise (sports) which were allowed
were given due consideration like body building that can help to achieve
strong and healthy body for the task of global development both
spiritual and material.
Uqbah bin Amir said: I heard the messenger of Allah (S.A.W)
saying while he was reading this verse on the pulpit:
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“(make ready against them all you can of power including steeds of war) the power means archery (he repeated it three times).”6
In a nutshell Islamic shari’ah has said much on games that are
legal unlike the modern games which their establishment and the way
they are played are totally unislamic ranging from the dress codes up to
other effects. Therefore Muslims (youths in particular) should not
occupy themselves with these sporting activities (of the modern games )
at the expense of religious obligations and other important activities
because Muslims are not allowed to perform games that can inflict harm
on them as is the case with the modern games.7
1.2 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS.
The scope of the study is to examine the effect of modern games
on the Muslim youth in Gwandu in view of their negative implications
(effects) in the area as well as what is the consequences on Muslims
particularly the youths who usually engages in these acts.
1.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY.
The significance of this research work is that it will point out the
majority of games that are lawful and unlawful. It will enlighten the
6 Subul al salam, M.I. As san’ani, Kitab al jihad.
7 I.M. Maishanu, (2009), A journal on analytical study of sport development
as viewed from Islamic perspectives, N.P.P, N.D.P., Vol.4, and P.85.
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Muslims in general and youths in particular in Gwandu and the societies
as whole on their effects to the Muslims by citing references from the
quotations from Qur’an and Sunnah. It will also suggest on the steps to
correct the brothers in Islam in their attitude of fanaticism to the modern
games.
1.4 STATEMENT OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEMS.
This research is designed to find the causes and effect of modern
games among the Muslim youth in Gwandu Local Government. It is
generally that for every act exists both negative and positive side of it,
so also the modern games. With this we can realize how some of the
modern games in Gwandu affected the youths with a lot of problems
which are socially, economically, politically, and religiously in the
morality and discipline of the youths particularly in Gwandu. These
games resulted to lack of discipline and morality to their behavior
through the influence of peer group.
But under the influence of time and financial factors the
researcher will only focus on the effects of modern games. In the
process of doing so the following questions will be answered.
1. What are the modern games?
2. What are the stands of Islam on the modern games?
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3. What are the effects of modern games on the Muslim youth in
Gwandu?
4. How can we combat (wipe out) the effects of modern games on the
youths in Gwandu.
1.5 AIM AND OBJECTIVES:
This research is aimed at achieving the following objectives:
To draw the attention of Muslim youths to the commandments and
prohibitions of Allah regarding modern games.
To enlighten our Muslim youth on the effect of modern games in
Gwandu and its surroundings and Muslim brothers in general.
To admonish the Muslim youths to abstain themselves from these games
because of their negative effects on them and are detrimental to the
Islamic teachings.
In general, it is aimed at achieving the commands and teachings
contained in the following tradition of the Prophet (S.A.W.) where Abu
Sa’id Al khudri said: I heard Allah’s apostle saying:
“When any one of you notice an
abomination, let him change it with
his hand, if that is not possible then
with his tongues and if that is not
possible then with his heart, this is the
weakest (kind of) faith.”8
8 Sahih al Bukhari opcit, Vol. 7,Page 407
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Therefore this research work targets the above mentioned commands to
the believers.
1.6 METHODOLOGY:
In the course of this work the following books will be consulted
namely; the Glorious Qur’an, Kutub al Hadith and some literary works
of our Muslim scholars like the journal on the analytical study of sport
development as viewed from the Islamic perspective, similarly
information from the electronic books on the mobile encyclopedia
(through google).
A survey of the metropolitan will be carried out whereby an oral
interview will conducted from the people (Religious scholars, elders,
and youths as well) of the area which help greatly in justification to the
topic of the research.
1.7 STRUCTURE:
This research project consists of five chapters, under each chapter
there are sub divisions to it.
In chapter one there is an introduction, significance of the study,
statement of research problems, aim and objectives, methodology,
structure and literature review.
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Chapter two is on the background of Gwandu which consist of its
historical background, the people of the area and their systems of belief.
Chapter three is on Islam and modern games, it discusses the concepts
of games in the Qur’an and Sunnah, lawful and prohibited games in
Islam, finally modern games and Muslim youths in Gwandu.
Chapter four is on the negative and positive effects of modern games
on the Muslim youths. The chapter identifies some issues such as
shameful dress, massive money extravagancy, destruction and diversion,
intermingling of sexes, hero worship, and finally some positive effects
such as physical training and maintenance or improvement of health.
Chapter five consists of recommendations, solution to the effect of
modern games on Muslim youths, and finally, the conclusion and
bibliography.
1.8 LITERATURE REVIEW
The purpose of reviewing the previous literature is to determine
the works that are related to the topic of my research under which a lot
of literatures on this topic will be reviewed.
In the encyclopedia Britannica, it is stated that the development
and growth of modern games, games were all over the globe due to the
widespread of modern mass media for example, television has been
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largely responsible for transporting sports to all part of the world,
specialized sports’ magazines, sounds, newspapers reports, radio
broadcast and likely the internet has contributed immensely to the
spread of sports to the masses.
In a journal of physical education and sport science titled “the
shield” by Dr. I.M. Maishanu, who wrote an article titled “An analytical
study of sport development as viewed from the Islamic perspectives,
discussed sports as viewed in Islam, the different type of sport that are
allowed in Islam and those that are not allowed due to the way they are
carried out.9
“Etiquette of sport” is an article in which Sheikh Atiyyah Saqr
explained the etiquettes and the manners for Muslim practice in sports.
The medieval Islamic games is another book of relevance in the
free mobile encyclopedia under which some forms of Islamic games
were discussed in the present Muslim situation.
Hassan Aydinlis “Children and violent computer games” in this
article, two important issues were analyzed, how computer game affects
the children sub consciousness and future, and whether games with
positive effect have an appealing presentation.
9 I.M. Maishanu (2009), A journal on analytical study of sport development
as viewed from Islamic perspectives, Vol. 4, Page 88.
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Islamic sport, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia is another
reference material which discussed the position of sports in Islam, its
historical origin and development10.
An English Oxford dictionary advanced learners’ new 8th edition
was consulted in order to define some terminologies that are vital to the
work.
Another reference material is an official website titled
www.alminbar.com/khutbaheng/scwcrec.htm that outlined the impact of
the modern games to the Muslim youths.11
In the course of this research work a mobile encyclopedia
namedGlobalBritannica.com/EBcheked/topic/250158/Gwandu and also
‘Gwandu domain of Abdullahi’ happens to be contacted as it contained
information on geographical location of Gwandu and other relevant data
needed.
10 Islamic sports from Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic sport.
11.www.alminbar.com/khutbaheng/scwcrec.
