Islam Encourages Sports and Discourages Lahw-al-Hadith or Vain Entertainment
Hadith
Promotes Archery and Spear Throwing
Main
Points:
1. Famous companion Hadhrat
Abu Talha was an accomplished archer.
2. The holy prophet pbuh
encouraged archery and spear throwing.
3. Quran discourages idle talk
and vain entertainment.
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By New Age Islam Staff Writer
23 November 2021
(Courtesy: Muslims in America Sports)
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Islam wants to build a healthy society
where its members live their lives according to some morals and discipline.
Every member of the society is required to play a positive and constructive
role in the building of an ideal society. Therefore, every citizen is advised
to spend his time and exhaust his mental and physical facilities for
constructive purposes. Wasting resources on vain activities and spending time
in idle talk or purposeless activities is discouraged by the Quran and hadith.
More so when members of society use idle talks or means of entertainment for
diverting the energies and attention of the people to mislead people and take
them away from right path and from
constructive purposes. The Quran says:
“And the people who buy game of speech
(lahw-al-hadith) to mislead others from the way of Allah without knowledge and
who takes it (His way) in ridicule.Those who will have a humiliating
punishment.(Luqman: 6)
Translators of the Quran have translated
the term Lahw-al-Hadith as Amusement of speech or game of speech and have said
that this means music, songs, theatrics. In modern perspective, Lahw-al-hadith
may mean TV serials, music videos, entertainments programmes involving dance,
song and music and all other genres of entertainment that are meant only for
entertaining people and diverting their attention from constructive purposes of
life.
The Quran and Hadith promote healthy
practices, activities and sports that promote mental and physical abilities
that can help men to accomplish their social responsibilities. There are a
couple of hadiths that promote sports like archery and spear throwing. Famous
companion of the holy prophet pbuh was an accomplished archer.
Yazid bin Abi Ubaid said “I heard Salma bin Akwa who said,
“ The holy Prophet came across some people of Aslam tribe who were practicing
archery in two groups. The Holy Prophet pbuh said, “ O children of Ismail (Arabs
are called Children of Islamiail). Practise archery. Your father Ismail was an
archer and I side with this group, Hearing this, other group stopped
shooting arrows. He pbuh said, “ Why
don’t you start shooting arrows? They
replied, “How can we shoot arrows. You have sided with our rival group. He pbuh
said, “ Well, I am with both the groups. Now shoot arrows.”(Hadith 160, Kitabul
Jihad Vol 2, Sahih Bukhari)
Abu Hurairah narrated that once it so
happened that the nigroes were playing with spears. Suddenly Hadhrat Umar r.a.
came. Seeing them, he picked up gravels and threw at them. He pbuh said, “ Let
them play, Umar.” Ali heard it from Abdul Razzaq who heard it from Muammar and
he added that they were playing in the
mosque. (Hadith 123, Kitqabul Jihad, Sahih Bukhari).
Ironically, Muslims are less interested in
sports and more interested in Lahw-al-Hadith.
They spend most of their time watching music videos and entertainment
programmes on TV. They also spend most of their time on Facebook and WhatsAapp
which is also a kind of Lahw-al-Hadith
(game of words). Islam does not totally forbid Muslims from light and healthy
entertainment to relieve themselves from stress but it does not encourage
Muslims to spend most of their productive hours on vain entertainment and idle
talk.
Muslim countries also do not encourage
sports and games because of a strict interpretation of Sharia which considers
sports waste of time and un-Islamic. Horse-riding can also be included in the
sports that can be promoted. But unfortunately, the representation of Muslims
in these sports in which Muslims of the past excelled is poor in international
sporting competitions. Muslim women during the life of the prophet pbuh took
part in wars but today most of the Muslim countries do not allow Muslim women
to take part in international sports competitions. The religious circle opposes
the participation of Muslim women in sports and therefore Muslim governments do
not have the courage to defy their fatwa. There is a need to reinterpret the Quran
and hadith to remove this misconception from the minds of Muslims so that their
talent gets due recognition on national and international level.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-culture/lahw-hadith-vain-entertainment/d/125823
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