Is the Fainting Game Halal If No One Gets Permanently Hurt?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Question
Is it halal that we friends play a game where a person does sit-stand and breathes heavily (while sitting down) ten times, and after standing up, a person presses some parts of the neck with his fingers, and the person faints for three to five seconds? Obviously, no permanent damage was caused.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate.
No, this game is not permissible, and doesn’t appear to be from the wholesomeness that permissible (halal) entertainment and games are based on.
Over-breathing and then pressing on the neck can cause a person to faint by starving the brain of oxygen, and medical research links it to seizures, brain injury, and death. It brings real harm and no benefit, and you may not put yourself or a friend in that danger for a few seconds of thrill.
What the Medical Research Shows
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) studied the “choking game,” in which players bring on a faint by pressure on the neck, in a 2008 report. It counted 82 probable deaths of young people between the ages of six and 19 from 1995 to 2007, and it warns that serious damage to the brain and nerves, or death, can result.
A 2016 study in Global Pediatric Health, reviewing choking-game videos on YouTube, found the most common technique was the one you describe: rapid breathing, then rising quickly from sitting or squatting. Its authors list seizures, concussions, stroke, brain damage, and death among the dangers. A 2008 case report in Epilepsy & Behavior describes neck compression and breath holding causing repeated seizure-like episodes, with a risk of lasting nerve injury.
“No permanent damage” isn’t something you can see from the outside. A faint means the brain has already run short of oxygen, and no one in the circle can tell how far it went.
Harm With No Benefit Isn’t Good
The Quran teaches us to set what an act brings against what it costs. Of wine and gambling, Allah Most High says, “They ask you about wine and the feast-lottery. Say: In both there is heinous sin, and many considerable benefits for men, but their sin is immensely greater than aught they benefit.” [Quran 2:219; Keller, The Quran Beheld]
Here there’s no benefit to weigh at all. What players are after, the CDC report explains, is a brief high caused by too little oxygen reaching the brain. Forms of entertainment in which there is harm and no clear benefit aren’t good for a believer, and are not permitted. [Mahmud Ashraf Usmani, Khel-o-Tafrih]
Putting Your Life at Risk Is Unlawful
When the harm is a risk to life itself, the matter is graver still. Allah Most High says, “And do not take each other’s lives: Verily Allah is towards you all-compassionate.” [Quran 4:29; Keller, The Quran Beheld]
Imam Kasani (Allah have mercy on him), author of Badaʾiʿ al-Sanaʾiʿ, one of the great reference works of Hanafi law, states the rule: “Casting oneself into destruction is clearly unlawful.” [Kasani, Badaʾiʿ al-Sanaʾiʿ]
He applies it even where a person only fears for his life, as when a snake or an enemy stands between him and water. The law looks at the danger, not only the resultant consequences.
Your friend’s agreement doesn’t make it lawful: what is forbidden is putting oneself or others in danger.
And the one who presses the neck shares the sin. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “There is to be no harm and no reciprocating harm.” [Ibn Maja] The scholars deem this principle of “no harm” one of the foundational principles of Islamic law. [Suyuti, al-Ashbah; Ibn Nujaym, al-Ashbah]
In the Wholesome There Is Enough
In what is permissible and wholesome, there’s enough to free you from what isn’t.
The Mother of the Believers, Sayyida Aisha (Allah be pleased with her), said of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), “I raced him and beat him on foot. Then, when I had put on weight, I raced him, and he beat me, and he said, ‘This is for that one.’” [Abu Dawud]
Racing, ball games, and swimming (and countless sports, games, and wholesome modes of entertainment) give you the fun and the company without gambling with your brain or your well-being.
Desist and Consider a Few Things
If you’ve played it, stop now, turn to Allah in repentance, and thank Him that no one was hurt. Then I would advise:
One. Tell your friends what you’ve learned, so no one plays it again, even alone. This is from concern for the good of others and sincere counsel (nasiha).
Two. If anyone in the group has had a seizure, a head injury, lasting headaches, or memory trouble since playing, see a doctor and say what happened.
Three. Tell a parent or a trusted elder.
A true friend keeps his friends from harm. Be that friend for them, and may Allah protect you all.
And Allah knows best.
Faraz Rabbani
Related Answers
One. Am I Allowed To Play Video Games With Permissible Content? — Shaykh Faraz Rabbani: Lawful play is permitted, with care for what it shapes in you.
Two. If Sports Can’t Cause Harm to be Halal, Doesn’t That Make All Sports Haram? — Mawlana Ilyas Patel: Deliberately harming yourself isn’t permitted, while accidental injury in a lawful sport is a different matter.
النصوص · Source-Texts
[الكاساني، بدائع الصنائع] «وَكَذَا إذَا كَانَ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ الْمَاءِ عَدُوٌّ أَوْ لُصُوصٌ، أَوْ سَبْعٌ، أَوْ حَيَّةٌ يَخَافُ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ الْهَلَاكَ إذَا أَتَاهُ؛ لِأَنَّ إلْقَاءَ النَّفْسِ فِي التَّهْلُكَةِ حَرَامٌ»
[ابن ماجه] «لَا ضَرَرَ وَلَا ضِرَارَ»
[أبو داود] «فَسَابَقْتُهُ فَسَبَقْتُهُ عَلَى رِجْلَيَّ، فَلَمَّا حَمَلْتُ اللَّحْمَ سَابَقْتُهُ فَسَبَقَنِي فَقَالَ: هَذِهِ بِتِلْكَ السَّبْقَةِ»
Shaykh Faraz Rabbani is a recognized specialist scholar in the Islamic sciences, having studied under leading scholars from around the world. He is the Founder and Executive Director of SeekersGuidance. Shaykh Faraz stands as a distinguished figure in Islamic scholarship. His journey in seeking knowledge is marked by dedication and depth. He spent ten years studying under some of the most revered scholars of our times. His initial studies took place in Damascus. He then continued in Amman, Jordan. In Damascus, he was privileged to learn from the late Shaykh Adib al-Kallas. Shaykh Adib al-Kallas was renowned as the foremost theologian of his time. Shaykh Faraz also studied under Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi in Damascus. Shaykh Hassan is recognized as one of the leading Hanafi jurists of our era. Upon completing his studies, Shaykh Faraz returned to Canada in 2007. His return marked a new chapter in his service to the community. He founded SeekersGuidance. The organization reflects his commitment to spreading Islamic knowledge. It aims to be reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible. This mission addresses both online and on-the-ground needs. Shaykh Faraz is also an accomplished author. His notable work includes “Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School.” This book, published by White Thread Press in 2004, is a significant contribution to Islamic literature. His influence extends beyond his immediate community. Since 2011, Shaykh Faraz has been recognized as one of the 500 most influential Muslims. This recognition comes from the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center. It underscores his impact on the global Islamic discourse. Shaykh Faraz Rabbani’s life and work embody a profound commitment to Islamic scholarship. His teachings continue to enlighten and guide seekers of knowledge worldwide.
