Sports in Islam
Wa `alaykum as-Salam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh. May Allah Most high bless you and yours here and hereafter.
A beautiful and important question.
In the ancient world, sport did not originate for its own sake but,
even in the West, in close connection with warfare, its arts and self-
sacrificing, nation-building ethics. Nothing illustrates this better
than the battle of Marathon giving its name to the highlight event of
the modern Olympic games.
The sports and physical skills practiced and recommended by the
Prophet Muhammad, upon him blessings and peace, were all related to
military training, such as archery, camel and horse racing, sword and
spear among other weapon training, hunting (including tracking game
and scouting), running, swimming and wrestling. All these sports and
activities are part of the Prophetic Sunnah.
Shaykh Muhammad `Alawi al-Maliki said in his 1999 book entitled "The
Connection of Sport with Religion and Its Role in the Upbringing of
Muslim Youth" (Silat al-Riyadatu bil-Din wa-Dawruha fi Tanshi'ati al-
Shabab al-Muslim), in which he used al-Kattani's al-Taratib al-
Idariyya's review of the sports practiced in Madina, that even though
the Prophet was "imbued with a highly sportsmanlike spirit", yet his
rank is too exalted to be thus described, although he gathered in his
noble person every excellent attribute imaginable, including physical
ones.
It is right to say that the Prophet, upon him blessings and peace, was
the apex of "futuwwa", a word that is is both nobler and more
inclusive of moral qualities than the modern Arabic word for sport,
"riyada" and which denotes four meanings: youth, virility, bravery,
and generosity. Among the ideals subsumed in these four attributes is
the modern concept of sportsmanship.
** ARCHERY (al-rami) **
"Archery is part of man's primordial disposition" (al-rami min al-
fitra), the Prophet is related to have said. Arabic bows are famed for
their light weight, strength, and precision. Several hadith monographs
were devoted to the topic of archery, perhaps the most reliable being
al-Sakhawi's al-Qawl al-Tamm fi Fadl al-Rami bil-Siham. A Turkish
compilation of 40 such hadiths was translated into English.
The Prophet said: "Practice archery. It is truly among your best
distractions (fa'innahu min khayri lahwikum)." Narrated by al-Bazzar
(§1146) with a strong chain cf. al-Haythami (5:268).
When the verse {Make ready for them all you can of force and of horses
tethered} (8:60) was revealed, the Prophet, upon him blessings and
peace, said: "Lo! Truly, force is archery. Lo! Truly, force is
archery." Narrated by Muslim.
He also said: "Truly, Allah Most High brings three people into
Paradise because of a single arrow: its maker who intended goodness
out of it, the archer, and the arrowhead fitter. So shoot or ride, but
I love better that you shoot rather than ride." (Abu Dawud)
He also said: "Whoever abandons archery after learning it, becoming
uninterested, it is a blessing he has denied." Abu Dawud. In Muslim:
"He has disobeyed." In Ibn Majah: "He has disobeyed me."
In one of the most moving and lesson-rich hadiths in the whole Sunna,
the Prophet, upon him blessings and peace, passed by two groups
competing in archery, whereupon he said, "Shoot, Banu Isma`il! Truly
your forefather was an archer; and I am with the Banu Fulan." Hearing
this they stopped, so the Prophet said: "What is the matter? Why don't
you shoot?" They said: "Messenger of Allah, how can we shoot [against
them] when you are with them?" So he said: "Shoot! I am with all of
you." Narrated by al-Bukhari. Ibn Hajar revealed in Fath al-Bari that
the unnamed party was Mihjan ibn al-Adhra`.
In battle, the Prophet, upon him blessings and peace, encourage Sa`d
ibn Abi Waqqas to shoot with a unique encouragement: "Shoot, may my
father and mother be your ransom!" Our liegelord `Ali said, may Allah
ennoble his face: "I never heard him ransom any man thus after Sa`d."
Al-Bukhari. Sa`d himself explained the reason behind this immense
honor: "I am the very first Arab ever to shoot an arrow for the sake
of Allah Most High." (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) This latter reason is
paramount for any military act to qualify for jihad: "My love is a
must," the Prophet said, "for whoever walks between the two targets
carrying MY bow, not Chosroes's bow." Narrated by Abu Nu`aym in
Riyadat al-Abdan.
Imam al-Shafi`i was a master of archery. Ibn Zhahira in al-Jami` al-
Latif (p. 266) mentions that al-Shafi`i had actually drunk Zamzam to
three intentions: precellence in learning, archery, and entering
Paradise.
The benefits of these sports are self-discipline and ennoblement as
well as a noble social pastime and regimen of fitness and alertness
with obvious applications to wartime preparations. The Prophet said,
upon him blessings and peace: "The strong believer is better than the
weak believer" (Sahih Muslim). The primary application of this hadith
is physical as in the Qur'anic verse already cited (8:60), then
spiritual. He also said: "Do not practice pelting (la takhdhifu), for
neither can it be used for hunting, nor for checking the enemy; all it
does is put out eyes and shatter teeth." Al-Tabarani and Abu Nu`aym,
Riyadat al-Abdan.
The Prophet also said that, except for a man's training of his own
horse, restringing or shooting his bow, and playing with his spouse,
all sports are "idle and meaningless" (batil). The meaning of this
hadith, however, is that everything that qualifies as preparation for
jihad is constructive and meaningful. Moreover, the "batil" in the
hadith is not an excoriation but a recommendation of preference. The
proof for this is in the mursal Prophetic hadith from Ibn Shihab in
Abu Dawud's Marasil: "Relax the hearts from time to time." Al-Bukhari
stengthened this narration as stated in Fayd al-Qadir. It is in this
sense that Abu al-Darda' relatedly said: "Truly I recreate my soul
with some of the batil so that I can arise for haqq." Similarly, our
liegelord `Ali, Allah be well-pleased with him and all the Companions:
"Recreate those hearts, for they tire the way bodies tire."
** EQUITATION **
and camel-racing including breeding, training and competition
The Prophet, upon him blessings and peace, preferred horses above all
other animals (al-Nasa'i). He was able to ride without saddle, as
mentioned in the report in which one night a loud noise startled the
people of Madinans who gathered and went out in the direction of the
noise. They met up with the Prophet, who had already gone out to check
and was now coming back, mounted on a saddleless horse and girded with
his sword, and reassuring them with the words: "Fear not, fear not."
(Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Among the hadiths on horses: "Goodness is tied to the forelocks of
horses until the Day of Resurrection" (al-Bukhari) and "Let there be
no race except between camels, horses, or arrows." (Abu Dawud)
Al-Bukhari narrates that the Prophet, upon him blessings and peace,
organised horse races and used both normal horses and horses which had
been prepared for racing and warfare, called "mudammara". The process
of tadmir involves a reduced dietary regimen and the inducement of
profuse sweating so the horse becomes lean and strong.
He also narrated that when a nomad's camel outpaced the Prophet's she-
camel, al-`Adhba', which was known to be always first in racing, the
Muslims felt sad. The Prophet consoled them and taught them the proper
demeanour in sportsmanlike support of one's team: "Almighty Allah has
decreed that nothing shall have a permanent glory."
Among the works composed on horses and horsemanship mentioned by al-
Kattani in al-Taratib al-Idariyya are al-Hasan ibn `Arafa's al-Khayl,
Siraj al-Din al-Bulqini's Qatr al-Sayl fi Amr al-Khayl (an adaptation
of a work by al-Dimyati), Wali al-Din al-`Iraqi's Fadl al-Khayl, al-
Suyuti's Jarr al-Dhayl min `Ilm al-Khayl, Ibn al-Qayyim's al-
Furusiyya, Ibn Hudhayl al-Andalusi's Halbat al-Fursan wa-Shi`ar al-
Shuj`an as well as Tuhfat al-Anfus wa Shi`ar Sukkan al-Andalus in two
parts: jihad and weaponry including horses, Muhammad ibn al-Amir `Abd
al-Qadir al-Jaza'iri's al-Safinat al-Jiyad (The Very Fast Steeds), and
Shams al-Din al-Bakhshi al-Khalwati's Rashahat al-Midad fima
Yata`allaqu bil-Safinat al-Jiyad.
** SWORDSMANSHIP AND SPEARSMANSHIP **
The Prophet, upon him blessings and peace, owned several swords, among
them one named Dhul-Fiqar (thus called because there were some small
holes in its blade) which he had gained among the spoils in the battle
of Badr as narrated from Ibn `Abbas by al-Tirmidhi and others, and
another sword made by the Banu Hanifa who were famous for their
craftsmanship. The day he entered Mekah as a conqueror, he wore a
sword whose handle and/or hand-guard was overlaid with gold and
silver. He seldom parted with his sword and often delivered khutbah
leaning either on his sword or his bow. This gesture is actually a
Sunna in the Jumuah prayer which is fulfilled by using any staff to
lean on.
The Prophet was a keen spearsman as well. When Ubay ibn Khalaf showed
up dressed in his armor on top of his horse at the battle of Uhud,
shouting, "May I not survive if Muhammad survives!", he wreaked havoc
on the Muslims. Several of them intercepted him but none of them was
mounted, so Ubay killed or maimed them all in one charge after
another, including a woman, Umm `Umara Nasiba bint Ka`b, an Ansari
woman of the Banu Najjar who fought together with her husband and her
two sons. She got gashed in her shoulder, among other wounds she
suffered in that battle. Then the Prophet ordered them to clear the
way. When Ubay charged again, the Prophet took a spear and, according
to the narrator, "sprang up with a motion that sent us scampering away
from him like gadflies off the back of a camel". He sighted the
clavicle Ubay showing through a gap between the helmet and the
breastplate, and he speared him there.
** SPRINT RACING (sibaq al-`adwi) and long distance walking **
The Quran in Surat Yusuf (verse 17) has the brothers of the Prophet
Yusuf, saying to their father, the Prophet Ya`qub, upon our Prophet
and them blessings and peace, {O father, we went racing with one
another...} The term "nastabiq" in the original Arabic clearly refers
to a race the brothers claimed they participated in. In the same Sura,
verse 12 states: {Send him (Yusuf) with us tomorrow so that he may
revel and play with us}.
One time the Prophet raced with his wife `A'isha, upon him and her
blessings and peace, and she beat him. Some time later, they raced
again and he beat her. The Prophet then said: "One all!" (hadhihi bi-
tilk). Abu Dawud, Ahmad, and Ibn Majah.
Ibn Sa`d narrated from Nafi` that when Waqid ibn `Abd Allah died of
dropsy, Ibn `Umar prayed over him and buried him then he called the
bedouins to gather around him and organized sprint races. Nafi` said:
"I asked him: 'You buried Waqid just now and you're having the
Bedouins race?' He replied: 'Woe to you, Nafi`! When you see Allah
Most High bring something to pass, let it go (falhi `anh).'"
Ibn Mas`ud narrates that on the battle of Badr, which took place on
Ramadan 17, the under-equipped, fasting Muslims went out three to each
camel. The Prophet was teamed with `Ali and Abu Lubaba. When it was
the Prophet's turn to ride they would say: "You ride and we two shall
walk" but he would answer: "Neither are the two of you stronger than
me in walking, nor am I less in need of the reward than you!" (Ahmad
and al-Hakim)
** SWIMMING **
The Prophet said, upon him blessings and peace: "Everything other than
the remembrance of Allah is idle talk and heedlessness except four
things: walking between two targets [during archery practice];
training his horse; entertaining his spouse; and teaching swimming."
(Al-Nasa'i, al-Bazzar, al-Tabarani, al-Baghawi, al-Diya' and others
with a strong chain according to al-Haythami). Our liegelord `Umar ibn
al-Khattab wrote to the Muslims of Syro-Palestine to make sure they
taught their sons swimming. (Ibn Hibban, al-Tahawi and others)
Al-Bayhaqi and others narrated that he also said: "Teach your sons
swimming and archery and teach women spinning." Another version
states: "What excellent distraction for the female believer in her
home is spinning!"
** WEAPONRY **
Abu Dawud narrated from Anas that the Abyssinians practiced and played
with their spears in Madina.
Upon seeing the Abyssinians "dance" (tazfinu) with swords, spears and
shields in Madina the Prophet, upon him blessings and peace, approved
and said: "Let the Jews [of the city] know that, in our religion,
there is leeway (fus-ha). I was sent with forgiving, pristine faith."
(Ahmad, al-Humaydi, al-Harith, and others.) Some versions precedes it
with his harangue: "Play, Banu Arfada!" The Prophet also called his
young wife `A'isha to watch. This play took place on more than one
occasion.
Many great Muslims including the likes of the great general Salah al-
Din al-Ayyubi were outstanding exponents of the art of fencing.
** WRESTLING (mutaraha and musara`a) **
Al-Tabarani with a strong chain according to al-Haythami, and Abu
Nu`aym in Riyadat al-Abdan narrate that the Prophet would allow youths
to join up for jihad only if they passed a wrestling test.
Imam al-Suyuti in his book on wrestling entitled al-Musara`a ila al-
Musara`a (Nimbly to Wrestling), mentions that the Meccans were famed
for besting all the other tribes at wrestling, and that our liegelord
`Ali ibn Abi Talib was a particularly fearsome wrestler.
Rukana ibn `Abd Yazid, the strongest of the Quraysh in physical power,
happened one day to meet the Messenger of Allah, upon him blessings
and peace, in one of the mountain passes, and the latter said: "Will
you not fear Allah, and accept the revelation which I offer you?" He
replied, "If I knew what you say to be true, I would follow you!" The
Prophet asked, "Will you know my statements to be true if I wrestle
you to the ground?" Rukana said yes. The Prophet continued, "Then rise
that I may throw you down." Rukana rose to the attack, but as soon as
the Prophet seized him, Rukana fell to the ground helpless. He said,
"Once more, Muhammad!" But he was knocked down again. Rukana ran away
saying: "This is sorcery! I never saw anything like it. By Allah, I
was completely helpless until he pinned me down." Ibn Ishaq in his
Sira, Abu al-Qasim al-Taymi in Dala'il al-Nubuwwa, Abu Nu`aym in the
Hilya, and al-Suhayli in al-Rawd al-Unuf.
Ibn `AsAkir narrated mursal in his Tarikh (59:87) from the junior
Tabi`i `Urwa ibn Ruwaym that a Bedouin came to the Prophet, upon him
blessings and peace, and said, "Wrestle with me." Mu`awiya got up and
said, "I shall wrestle with you!" The Prophet said: "Mu`awiya will
never lose!" Then he wrestled down the Bedouin. At Siffin, our
liegelor `Ali said: "Had I remembered that saying I would have never
fought Mu`awiya!"
The Prophet, upon him blessings and peace, asked: "Whom do you
consider a wrestler among you?" The people replied: "The man whom the
others cannot defeat in wrestling." He said: "No, it is he who
controls himself when he is angry." (Abu Dawud.) This is confirmed by
Ibn `Abbas' reaction when he came across some weight-lifters who were
practicing jerk-and-lift with rocks (yarba`un hajaran): "Allah's
workers are stronger than those." Abu Nu`aym, Riyadat al-Abdan, and
Lisan al-`Arab.
The Prophet's physical strength, upon him blessings and peace, is also
illustrated by the report in which he asked a man to place a rock on
top of `Uthman ibn Mazh`uns grave; when he was unable to move it, the
Prophet rolled up his sleeves and helped him and the whiteness of his
arms was visible. Narrated from an unnamed Companion by Abu Dawud and
al-Bayhaqi in al-Sunan al-Kubra (3:412) with fair chains cf. Ibn
Hajar, Talkhis al-Habir (2:134); Ibn al-Mulaqqin, Tuhfat al-Muhtaj (2:
29), and al-Arna'ut's edition of Ibn al-Qayyim's Zad al-Ma`ad (1:506).
The Naqshbandi sources mention that the great and pious Sayyid Amir
Kulal al-Bukhari was a champion wrestler in his youth. One day, a
spectator thought to himself: "How is it that a person who is the
descendant of the Prophet and a scholar, is practicing this sport?"
Later, he dreamt that the Day of Judgement had risen. He felt that he
was in great difficulty and that he was drowning. Sayyid Amir Kulal
appeared before him and rescued him, saying "Did you witness my power
in wrestling and my power in intercession?"
In Bosnia to this day, the highlight of the Sunnet or "circumcision
festival" is oil-wrestling competitions between adult males as boys
(up to 150 all at once) get circumcized.
From all the evidence above it can be deduced that martial arts,
riflery, sharpshooting and markshmanship, riding and racing (including
motoring), and all the traditional forms of athleticism are also
recommendable, as well as individual or organized outdoor activities
such as fishing, camping, trekking, and scouting.
Next in recommendation are the sports that develop fitness,
coordination, and team work since all these attributes are needed in
jihad. In such a scenario, rugby, soccer, handball come before tennis,
squash and badminton. But the primary benefits of such as golf,
bowling, and pool billiards are {but play and distraction (la`ibun wa-
lahw)} as Allah Most High described human life in three places in the
Qur'an (6:32, 47:36, 57:20), meaning batil in the meaning discussed
above, although some professionals derive a good living from such
sports.
And yet the Prophet, upon him blessings and peace, also countenanced
and tolerated physical displays unconnected with jihad but purely
festive, such as the Abyssinian type of light male dancing already
mentioned, as well as the "hajal" which some Companions of the First
Emigration extemporaneously took up around him once. Our liege-lord
`Ali, Allah be well-pleased with him, said:
"I visited the Prophet, Allah bless and greet him, with Ja`far (ibn
Abi Talib) and Zayd (ibn Haritha). The Prophet, Allah bless and greet
him, said to Zayd: 'You are my freedman' (anta mawlay), whereupon Zayd
began to hop on one leg around the Prophet (hajala). The Prophet,
Allah bless and greet him, then said to Ja`far: 'You resemble me in my
creation and my manners' (ashbahta khalqi wa-khuluqi), whereupon
Ja`far began to hop behind Zayd. The Prophet, Allah bless and greet
him, then said to me: 'You are part of me and I am part of you' (anta
minni wa-ana mink) whereupon I began to hop behind Ja`far." Narrated
by Ahmad and Ibn Hibban.
Sports should be practiced in moderation and should not interfere,
among other obligations, with the fulfillment of worship and the
pursuit of livelihood. To a student who wished to learn archery the
early Hanafi master and ascetic Dawud al-Ta'i said: "Archery is fine
but your days are counted; look well how you spend them."
The Prophet warned about the self-delusion of many people when it came
to the proper use of two things: health and free time. Many Shuyukh
have said time and again how extremely sad it is to see Muslims East
and West waste the precious leisure time of their lives as well as
their resources on watching grown men kick an air-filled hide back and
forth for hours on end, chasing after the news of profligate, tattooed
soccer players as if they were role models, and displaying their
images and even the cross-emblazoned flags of their favorite teams on
their cars, in their homes, and on their very heads and chests with
caps and shirts. When some football club thousands of miles away
defines who you and your family are, you are a truly bankrupt person.
Sports fanaticism giving way to hooliganism and other disordered
behavior, and gladiator-like competitiveness bordering on brutality
and cruelty are, of course, even more out of order.
Blood sports are extinct, but, alas, not yet for animals. Certain
gladiator-like spectator animal sports thrive on cruelty to animals
such as cock-fighting, dog-fighting, and other such duels. In Japan,
dung-beetles are set upon one another in ludicrous "beetle sumo"
matches until one snaps the other in two, to the oohs and aahs of
children watching.
The Prophet, upon him blessings and peace, strenuously forbade the use
of live animals for target practice or exposing them to suffering for
entertainment. This is an important aspect of the Religion which is
unfortunately ignored in many parts of the Gulf as well as elsewhere
in the Muslim world (such as Kazakhstan most recently in the news),
where live pigeons or even cubs and pups are routinely used by
falconers as practice preys for their hunting birds.
To conclude, some luminous words on sports in Islam from Shaykh Seraj
Hendricks of South Africa:
"It would do us well to remember that in Islam sport has a number of
very specific functions. Firstly, it has a military function whereby
the discipline of sport may be harnessed to prepare the individual for the
exacting task of fighting a legitimate battle. Allah says in surah
Anfaal, verse 60 : {Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your
power, including steeds of war...}
"Secondly, it has a social function in bringing people together which is in
keeping with one of the chief purposes of Islam and that is to foster a spirit
of mutual love, co-operation, respect, and friendship amongst all members of
society. In Islam the spirit of sport is one of seeking the general upliftment
of everyone, and not a spirit which encourages competition against the other,
where the 'other' is imagined to be different in race, religion, or nationality.
Hitler's
attempt at the Berlin Olympic Games to show the superiority of the 'Aryan Race'
over everyone else is one example of what the Islamic spirit is most decidedly
not. Barbarous discrimination in sport, apartheid style, is another.
"Thirdly, and closely linked to the second, is the recommended attempt
at developing mastery and control of the self. While to win might be a
commendable achievement, in Islam to overcome and conquer the lower
self is even more commendable. It was Lao Tzu who correctly observed that 'he
who overcomes others is strong; [but] he who overcomes Himself is mighty.'
"Fourthly is the relationship between the body and soul. In Islam
divisions between the sacred and secular hold little meaning. Everything we do
here in the earthly domain has an immediate impact on the sacred and spiritual
domain. A healthy body can act as nothing less than a healthy home for the
numerous challenges and demands made upon the soul. Ghazi ibn Muhammad in his
work, 'The Sacred Origin of Sport and Culture' says: 'Indeed, a proper balance
of work and relaxation is the way to strengthen the soul's capacity and
endurance for work, just as a proper balance of physical exercise and rest makes
the body strong and fitter. Thus one of the Companions of the
Prophet, Abu al-Darda, explained: 'I entertain my heart with something
trivial in order to make it stronger in the service of the truth.'"
And Allah Most High knows best.
References:
`Abd al-Hayy al-Kattani. Nizam al-Hukumat al-Nabawiyya. [Al-Taratib
al-Idariyya].
Abu Nu`aym. Riyadat al-Abdan.
Al-Maliki. Silat al-Riyadati bil-Din wa-Dawruha fi Tanshi'ati al-
Shabab al-Muslim.
"Sport and Islam" by Shaykh Seraj Hendricks, Muslim Views (November
1998).