Narrated Uqbah ibn Amir:
I heard the Apostle of
Allah (peace_be_upon_him) say: Allah, Most High,
will cause three persons to enter Paradise for
one arrow: the maker when he has a good motive
in making it, the one who shoots it, and the one
who hands it; so shoot and ride, but your
shooting is dearer to me than your riding.
Everything with which a man amuses himself is
vain except three (things): a man's training of
his horse, his playing with his wife, and his
shooting with his bow and arrow. If anyone
abandons archery after becoming an adept through
distaste for it, it is a blessing he has
abandoned; or he said: for which he has been
ungrateful.
Abu Dawud: Book Number: 14,
Hadith Number: 2507
The modern era brings us pressures, images,
messages, whispers, desires and wants that
divert our attention from what really is
important. Among the many medicines left to us
by The Prophet of Islam (s.a.w) to help us
maintain clarify of vision and purpose is that
of archery, a Sunnah with an illustrious past.
The Prophet (s.a.w) is known
to have encouraged his companions to learn and
practice archery. In fact there are many hadith
in which he mentions archery as one of the
sports men must teach their sons. It was this
love of archery and love for the Sunnah of The
Prophet (s.a.w) that led to many of the
successful victories by Muslim armies. This
great art was then protected and perfected by
The Ottomans who took it to its highest pinnacle
embodied in the Guild of Archers.
Sultan Selim III is said to
still hold the record for the longest shot ever
of 972 yards; a feat witnessed in 1798 by may
dignitaries in attendance including Sir Robert
Ainslie, from Great Britain. In 1835 Mahmud II,
Selim’s nephew, with the intention of
formalising and preserving archery commanded his
courtier Mustafa Kani to set down in writing all
available information about archery. He wanted
this done, he announced, "so that under my royal
patronage novices may acquire complete knowledge
of the Sunnah of the Prophet, and by diligence
come to possess the degrees of both worlds." The
result was “Abstracts and Treatise on Casting
Arrows” printed in 1847. We have a lot to thank
this far-sighted Sultan for as today the Sheikhs
of archery are no more and archery has all but
become a forgotten Sunnah.
In all of The Prophet’s
(s.a.w) directives there is wisdom and archery
is no different. For the youth within our
schools and madrassas today we believe archery
can offer a hitherto ignored sporting activity
to help them at all levels; physical, mental and
spiritual. Archery is not game and play but in
fact a means of helping the mind focus, the body
breathe, the limbs exercise, the heart connect
and the spirit develop.
The physical elements of
archery use all parts of the body and assist in
developing fit, strong and robust athletes. The
act of aiming helps the mind ignore
distractions, set one’s sites and have clarity
of purpose. Releasing the arrow reconnects the
heart and soul to the concept La hawla wa la
quwatta illah billah (there is no strength nor
force but Allah) where one’s trust is in their
Lord. The very act of shooting is of huge unseen
benefits as not only is one practicing a Sunnah
but also The Prophet (s.a.w) is narrated to have
stated, “Whoever removes his wrap from his
shoulder and walks between the two targets of
the archery field, will receive the reward for
the freeing of a believing slave for every
single step”.
At a time when our children
are struggling to engage with their religion, to
get sufficient exercise, to maintain focus and
concentration, does archery not present itself
as a hidden gem buried deep within our own
history?
"At the time of
corruption, if one revives the Sunnah, one will
be rewarded to the equivalent of one hundred
martyrs in Islam" (Baihiqi & Targhib)
