Qatar Foundation hosted the international soccer star, Frédéric Oumar Kanouté, on 6 June, 2013.

In 2007, the former super striker Freddie Kanoute refused to wear his team’s standard shirt, as it was branded with the logo of a famous gambling company. As a Muslim, he refused to promote such sin.

It is stated in the Quran that “Maisir” which is an Arabic word for gambling and “games of chance” is a “grave sin”. It is absolutely forbidden and often mentioned in conjunction with alcohol as both are destructive in any community.

Allah says: “Satan’s plan is to excite enmity and hatred between you, with intoxicants and gambling” (Quran 5:91).

Allah also says: “They ask you [Muhammad] about wine and gambling. Say:{ They ask you about wine1 and gambling. Say, “In them is great sin and [yet, some] benefit for people. But their sin is greater than their benefit.” } (Quran 2:219).

The common denominator between the two is obvious, their addictive nature. Anyone who dealt with a gambler knows how vicious and painful this kind of addiction is. If you haven’t had the misfortune of undergoing this experience, reading Dostoevsky’s “The Gambler” would fill you with the justifiable horror necessary to understand why Islam categorically forbids all games of chance.

Islam aims to settle a good and happy life for human beings, and any reasonable plan for long-lasting happiness is fundamentally antithetical to the instant gratification tendencies that we all have, and most people try to satiate through alcohol and gambling, and other forms of sin, including sexual ones.

A person who knows how to control his impulses will always live a happier life than that who chases dopamine hits 24/7.