How Islam view exercise and sport

Question: What does Islam say about sports and exercise? Are
there any sports that aren't allowed? Are there any
special rules for men or women? Can you play sports
with your husband? Thank you. Your answers will be
most helpful.

Salam Dear Kat,
Thank you for your question and for contacting
Ask About Islam.
Allah expects Muslims to take care of their
bodies to the best of their abilities. Obesity,
weakness, and physical laziness are blameworthy
afflictions.
Though death very well may overtake us today or
tomorrow, we should physically prepare ourselves
to worship Allah in our old age, should He give us
long lives.
While bad health and disease is often beyond our
control, we must take the precautions available
to us to maintain our physical health. Our bodies
are gifts from Allah, and we will be held accountable
for how we use them.
Furthermore, a Muslim should be able to defend his
or herself from aggression (which requires physical
strength) and should be prepared to struggle in the
path of Allah, should the occasion arise. For this
reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon
him) has said:
"The strong believer is better and more beloved to
Allah than the weak believer, while there is good in
both." (Reported by Muslim)
There are numerous Traditions in which the Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him) recommended
certain martial arts to maintain the health and
prepare the believers for situations of external
aggression. Thus, he has said (peace and blessings
be upon him):
"Any action without the remembrance of Allah is
either a diversion or heedlessness excepting four
acts: Walking from target to target [during archery
practice], training a horse, playing with one's
family, and learning to swim." (Reported by Tabarani)
It should be kept in mind that the Prophet and the
Companions were naturally physically fit. Life was
tougher back then – long distances were covered on
foot, men hunted and farmed their food to survive,
and there did not exist useless recreations - like
television - to produce laziness and waste many
hours of otherwise constructive time.
It was almost assumed back then that believers
would be physically fit. It was not until later
generations that the scholars encountered actual
obesity and laziness.
In answer to your questions, a modern Muslim should
put aside some time daily or weekly to maintain his
or her physical health. The average gym these days
entails mixed sexes in revealing clothing and loud
music and thus should be avoided.
If running outside is not a practical option,
consider buying a treadmill for the house and maybe
a few weights. Organized sports like basketball and
football are a good option for some, but one must
be careful not to overindulge in these and waste too
much time.
As always, a Muslim man and woman is required to
dress appropriately while exercising, being sure to
cover his or her awra (nakedness) and to not wear
revealing and tight clothing like spandex.
In terms of unlawful sports, boxing is not lawful
because a Muslim should not hit in the face for
sport. We read in the hadith; narrated Abu Huraira
that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"If somebody fights (or hits somebody) then he
should avoid the face." (Reported by Al-Bukhari)
In general, Muslims must be careful that their
exercise programs do not jeopardize their good
companionship and do not take them to indecent
places.
Husbands and wives can exercise and play together.
This is a good way of building love and happiness
together. The Prophet's wife Aisha said:
"I raced with the Prophet (peace and blessings be on
him) and beat him in the race. Later, when I had put
on some weight, we raced again and he won. Then he
said, 'This cancels that,' referring to the previous
occasion." (Reported by Ahmad)

Ahmad Souza

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