IECRC (USA & Canada)

Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem

As-salam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakaatuhu!

SPORTS!  What is sports? – Sports are different kinds of activities we do in order to stay fit and healthy. Sports these days are the pleasures people prefer to indulge in. People play different sports such as basket-ball, badminton and so forth to maintain their health status and do activities such as aerobics and gymnastics, to stay fit. All of these come under the sports of everyday life or in other terms, activities of everyday life.

Allah The Exalted has given guidance for everything in life. Even Sports! People usually think that things which are not mentioned in the Qur’an are of no importance and we should avoid them. Even though sports is not mentioned in the Qur’an, The Holy Qur’an clearly gives the basic principles of playing sports in Islam. When a Muslim plays sports or indulges himself in certain activities, he should keep in mind that he is bound by the principles of ISLAM. These include basic principles like:

• Firstly, Cleanliness: Not only in sports but also in general, hygiene is a very important factor one should keep in mind while doing anything, sports in particular. We should wear clean clothes and have the proper equipment for playing the sport.

• Secondly, No Cheating: This is also among the most important factors, where the person playing should have a clear and clean mind. He should be fair in his actions and prevent malpractices which may harm his fellow opponents.

• Thirdly, No Violence: Even though we try as hard as we can to avoid fouls during a game, we never succeed. Everyone makes mistakes. Having an open mind is very important so that we can think through the situation in a fair manner. We can do this by avoiding being very aggressive and try to co-operate with the fellow mates.

• Fourthly, No Addiction: Obsession! Addiction! These days the minds of young kids have become violent due to their obsession for sports, may it be indoor or outdoor sports. In outdoor sports, we have certain sports like cricket, football and so forth which are the main addictions to the minds of teen boys. In indoor sports, the latest source of obsession for every kid is the PLAY STATION. When the kids get their hands on the gaming controller, they forget about food, parents, manners  and their responsibilities. They try to postpone their work just so they can catch a few minutes of pleasure. Addiction to anything is strictly forbidden in the Holy  Qur’an and sports is no exception.

In addition to the principles described above, there is one more important rule which every Muslim should follow without any excuse:

MODESTY: This rule applies to both men and women. In the case of men, they must cover between the naval and knees. In the case of women, they are to wear loose clothes which do not show the shape of their bodies. Their hands, legs and head should be covered. Let us take the example of a popular sport, Wrestling. In this sport, we see people who have a bad sense of clothing, in other terms wearing almost nothing. It is not only haraam for them to wear such clothes but it is also a sin on our part to watch them in these vulgar clothes.

Before we move ahead with this topic, I’d like to bring another important aspect to your attention. Did you know that all actions we perform in our day-to-day life fall into five different categories which are described as below:

1) Fardh (obligatory) - All actions which fall in this category are made necessary for us to follow. They are therefore, ‘fardh’ and  we will be punished if we don’t perform them sincerely. Eg: Salat (5 times a day), Fast (in the Holy  Month of Ramadan)

2) Mandub (recommended) – In this category if you do the particular action which is mandub, then you will get its reward but if you don’t do it then you will not get a gunaah (sin). Eg: In Dhuhr prayer, we have 4 cycles of sunnah prayers, 4 cycles of fardh prayers and 2 cycles of sunnah prayers which are all necessary for us to pray. But we also have the 2 cycles of nafl prayers which if prayed will get us a reward and if not prayed won’t get us any gunaah.

3) Mubah (neutral) – In this category are actions which do not have any inherent reward or sin – it depends on our intention. Eg: Suppose you wear a red shirt gifted by your mother without thinking about it. In this case you will not get any reward or sin. However if you wear it with the intention to make your Mom happy, then this action will get you a reward. Most sports would fall into this category except for three which will be mentioned in a Hadeeth below. If the sport is played for a good intention while keeping within all the bounds of the Shari’ah (Islamic law), it can get us a reward and if played for a bad reason or by breaking the rules of Islam, can even get us a sin.

4) Makrooh (disliked) – These actions are disliked by Allah Almighty. However we won’t be punished if we do them but if we avoid them then Allah Almighty will reward us. Eg: We should always pray salat on time. If we are free and wasting our time, leaving namaz for the last minute, it is definitely Makrooh.

5) Haram (forbidden) – The name says it all. The  actions which fall in this category, are strictly forbidden by Allah and by doing this we will be punished no doubt! Eg: Drinking alcohol, immodesty etc.

Let us now talk about the advantages of sports in Islam.

– It helps to develop the health status of a person. By playing sports, we can stay fit and healthy and can avoid certain illnesses such as obesity.

– It allows people to interact with each other, with sports being a medium of interaction.

– Team sports such as cricket, develops important qualities such as leadership, team co-operation and better understanding among fellow mates.

– Acting and singing (recitation) can also be good activities depending on our intention. But then again it depends on how we see them. If we use our singing (recitation) to improve our vocals and sing (recite) hymns in the praise of Allah ALMIGHTY and poems to praise Our Beloved Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam we would get numerous thawaab or rewards. Similarly if we are acting in role plays or theater the purpose of which is to convey important messages to benefit society then this can be a good act also.

Sports can become a good deed if we remove all the bad things such as cheating, violence, addiction etc. It can also become a good deed if we are doing it for a specific reason such as to stay fit or for a charity. It should not be solely for our own pleasure and purpose. Any sport or activity which becomes an addiction is not good and strictly forbidden in the rules of Islam.

Islam is the most pure religion. Where ever it goes, it purifies it. It decides the actions we do are good or bad. It makes us think whether these actions would harm us or be of any good to us. In short, the main objective of Islam, irrespective of any topic, is to remove the bad and add the good. We should therefore, indulge in good healthy sports but not for the pleasure of it but for the benefit of it to keep us healthy. There are many sports which are excellent examples of good healthy sports such as swimming, squash etc. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) advised to be involved in three sports: swimming, archery and horseback riding. Swimming is the best exercise because it involves just about every muscle in the body. Archery teaches us precision. Horseback riding makes us sensitive to response because horses are very sensitive to the feelings of its rider. So participating in these sports would actually fall in the category of Mandub as described above.

We should all try to stay fit and healthy by playing the above mentioned  sports by having a good intention of it benefitting us. As the Bukhari Shareef’s  Hadeeth states, “Innamal A’amaalu bin Niyyaat” - Every action depends on its intention.

Thank You!

Sadiya Riaz Shaikh, Kingdom of Bahrain

Sadiya Riaz Shaikh is an active youth participant of IECRC Bahrain. She is the daughter of Mrs. Zarine and Mr. Riaz Shaikh who have contributed greatly to the development of IECRC work in Bahrain.

* YDF (Youth Discussion Forum) is an IECRC effort initiated in the Kingdom of Bahrain in order to engage Muslim youth in thoughtful and vibrant discussions on topics that are of interest to THEM. All too often youth are exposed to Islam in a one directional manner as a dry set of do’s and don’ts failing to reveal its rich intellectual heritage and spiritual depth and beauty. Through these discussions on topics chosen by the youth themselves, the goal of the YDF is three fold:

1. To make youth realize that there is no topic that can be separated from the holistic principles and balanced values of Islam, whether it is the internet, music or movies; that Islam guides every area of life beyond praying, fasting and reading the Holy Quran.
2. To break the stereotype that Islam is a dry set of do’s and don’ts and that on the contrary it is a vast and vibrant religion with a rich historical heritage which encourages intellectual discussions, not for the sake of polemics but for the sake of Allah and His Beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family and companions.)
3. To break the stereotype that Islam doesn’t care about how you feel about things. On the contrary Islam is very sensitive to human emotions and provides practical tools to channel it in a productive way thereby nurturing the spirit.