Hazrat Mufti Taqi Usmani (حفظه الله) writes:
As regards to the ruling of entertainment and sports in general, my teacher and my father ‘Allamah Mufti Muhammad Shafi’ (may Allah have mercy on him) compiled an independent treatise on it, published in his book Ahkam al-Qur’an. I will summarise in what follows the conclusions that he reached after enumerating the texts narrated on the subject, by quoting certain of his different statements:
“The rule in this subject, according to our [Hanafi] scholars, acquired from their principles and statements, is that entertainment by itself which has no purpose behind it, and does not have a beneficial goal in the worldly life or the afterlife is prohibited (haram), or prohibitively disliked (makhruh tahriman) and this is a matter that is agreed upon in the ummah and the imams have concurred upon this.
As for that which contains an objective and a religious or worldly benefit, if its prohibition is mentioned in the Book or the Sunnah, like in backgammon, it is prohibited or prohibitively disliked, and that benefit and goal is legally [hukman] negated due to its opposition to the transmitted prohibition since its harm is greater than its benefit. This too is agreed upon amongst the imams.
However, its prohibition may not have been established according to some of them and thus they permitted it and gave a dispensation in it, and it may be established according to others, so they forbade it and disliked it. This is the case with chess since the prohibition narrated about it is disputed from the perspective of narration and transmission. It is established according to the Hanafis and majority of the fuqaha so they disliked it, and it is not established according to Ibn al-Musayyab, Ibn al-Mughaffal and in a narration according to al-Shafi‘i too, so they permitted it.
As regards to that which prohibition from the Lawgiver has not been mentioned, and contains a benefit and interest for the people, then it is by jurisprudential opinion of two types:
[1] First, that which experience has shown its harm is greater than its benefit and its evils outweigh its uses, and that one who engages in it is distracted from the remembrance of Allah alone and the [obligatory] prayers and mosques, that will join what has been prohibited because it shares the ‘illah (ratio legis or underlying reason) so it is prohibited or (highly) reprehensible.
[2] Second, what is not so [i.e. experience has not shown it to be harmful], yet still, if people engage in it with the intention of amusement and play it is disliked, and if engaging in it is for the purpose of acquiring that benefit, and with the intention of seeking to attain that benefit, it is permissible; rather it may rise to the level of recommendation (istihbab) or greater than that.”
All sports and games will come under one of these five (5) categories, none of which is permissible except the last one.”
Courtesy Deoband.org
Edited to fit here.
Also see: ‘Ahkamul Quran’ by Mufti Shafi Usmani Vol.3 Pg.199-201 and Mahmoodul Fatawa Vol.3 Pg.129-131
