Answered by: Maulana Tahsin Alam
Question
To what limits sports are allowed in Islam?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Answer
Sports are a recommended practice, even a rewardable one when they are coupled with the intention to keep oneself fit and active for religious purposes. However, they should not-
1. Be a source of neglecting one’s religious duties.
2. Be a reason to exposes one’s awrah (nakedness) through tight fit clothing or short attire.
Some recommended sports are swimming, horse riding and archery, consider the following hadith. Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhiwasallam) is narrated to have said: “Any action which is void of the remembrance of Allah Ta’ala is futile (lahw) except for four actions.
1) Walking between two targets, ie. Practicing with a bow and arrow/spear.
2) Training one’s horse.
3) Playing with one’s wife.
4) Learning how to swim.”[1]
Only Allah SWT alone knows best.
Answered by Maulana Tahsin Alam
Checked and Approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
[1](Sunan Nasai, Hadith: 8940 and Tabarani, Hadith: 1785)