RECREATION AND PLAY
From the Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam

   Islam is a practical religion, it does not float in the stratosphere of imaginary ideals but remains with the human being on the ground of realities and day-to-day concerns. It does not regard people as angels but accepts them as mortals who eat food and walk in the marketplace. Islam does not require of Muslims that their speech should consist entirely of pious utterances, that their silence should be a meditation, that they should listen to nothing except the recitation of the Qur'an, nor that they should spend all their leisure time in the mosque. Rather, it recognizes that Allah has created human beings with needs and desires, so that, as they need to eat and drink, they also need to relax, and to enjoy themselves.

"A Time for This and a Time for That"
Some of the Companions of the Prophet (peace be on him) attained great spiritual heights. They believed that in order to remain at such a spiritual level they should always be serious, engaged in constant worship, turning their backs on all the enjoyments of life and the good things of the world, neither playing nor relaxing but keeping their eyes and their minds fixed on the Hereafter and its concerns, away from common life and its amusements. Let us listen to what this great Companion and scribe of the Prophet (peace be on him), Hanzalah al-Usaidi, has to say about himself.- Abu Bakr met me and asked, 'How are you, Hanzalah?' I replied, 'Hanzalah has become a hypocrite.' He said, 'Subhanallah! What are
you saying?' I replied, 'When we are with Allah's Messenger (peace be on him), he mentions the Fire and the Garden until it is as if we can see them. But when we leave the Prophet's company and play with our wives and children or
busy ourselves with our properties, we forget much.' Abu Bakr said, 'By Allah, I have experienced the same thing.' He and I then went to visit the Messenger of Allah (peace be on him), and I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, Hanzalah has
become a hypocrite.' He asked, 'And how is that?' I replied, 'O Messenger of Allah, when we are with you, you talk about the Fire and the Garden until it is as if we can see them. Then we go out and play with our wives and children
and deal with our properties, and we forget much.'The Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) then said, 'By Him in Whose hand is my soul, if you were to continue at the same level at which you were when with me and in remembering
Allah, the angels would shake hands with you when you are resting and when you walk about, but, 0 Hanzalah, there is a time (for this) and a time (for that).' He repeated this phrase three times.(Reported by Muslim)

The Humanness of the Messenger of Allah
   The life-pattern of the Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) is a perfect example for every human being. When he was in private he would worship his lord with such intense devotion, standing for long hours in salat, that his feet would become swollen; in matters pertaining to truth or justice he did not care about anyone's opinion, seeking only the pleasure of Allah. But in his living habits and dealings with people he was a human being, enjoying good things, participating in small talk, smiling and joking, yet never departing from the truth. The Prophet (peace be on him) liked happiness and disliked grief, he sought refuge with Allah from difficulties and troubles which result in sorrow, supplicating, "O Allah, I seek refuge in Thee from distress and grief."(Reported by abu-Daoud)
 
 Concerning his sense of humor, it is reported that once an old woman came to him, saying, "O Messenger of Allah, pray to Allah that He admit me to the Garden." The Prophet (peace be on him) said, "O mother of such a person, no old woman will enter the Garden." The woman broke down and wept, supposing that she would not enter Paradise. The Prophet (peace be on him) then explained to her that no old woman would enter the Garden as an old woman, for
Allah would restore her youth and admit her to the Garden as a young virgin. He then recited to her the verse,
   We created them as a (new) creation, and made them virgins, lovers, friends.' (56: 35-37)

Relaxing the Mind
   Following the Prophet's example, his noble and pure Companions also enjoyed humor and laughter, play and sport, which relaxed their bodies and minds and prepared them the better to travel on the long, arduous path of striving in
the cause of truth and justice. 'Ali bin Abu Talib said, "Minds get tired, as do bodies, so treat them with humor," and "Refresh your minds from time to time, for a tired mind becomes blind." 'And Abu al-Darda said, "I entertain my
heart with something trivial in order to make it stronger in the service of the truth."
   Accordingly, there is no harm in the Muslim's entertaining himself in order to relax his mind or refreshing himself with some permissible sport or play with his friends. However, the pursuit of pleasure should not become the goal
of his life so that he devotes himself to it, forgetting his religious obligations. Nor should he joke about serious matters. It has been aptly said, "Season your conversation with humor in the same proportion as you season your food with salt."
   The Muslim is forbidden to joke and laugh about other people's values and honor. Allah   says: O you who believe, let not some people mock at other people; it may be that they are better than thee ... (49:11) Nor is it appropriate for the Muslim to tell jokes based on what is untrue in order to make people laugh. The Prophet (peace be on him) warned against this, saying, "Woe to the one who says something which is false in order to make people laugh! Woe to him, woe to him" (reported by al-Tirmidhi)

Permissible Sports
There are many kinds of games and sports which the Prophet (peace be on him) recommended to the Muslims as a source of enjoyment and recreation which, at the same time, prepare them for worship and other obligations. These
sports, which require skill and determination, and which also involve physical exercise and body- building activity, are related to the martial arts, training Muslims for the battlefields of jihad in the cause of Allah. Among them are the following:

Foot Racing
The Companions of the Prophet (may Allah be pleased with them) used to race on foot and the Prophet (peace be on him) encouraged them in this. It is reported that 'Ali was a fast runner. The Prophet (peace be on him) himself raced with his wife 'Aishah in order to please her, to enjoy himself, and to set an example for his Companions. 'Aishah said, I raced with the Prophet (peace 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," (reported by Ahmad and Abu Daoud) referring to the previous occasion.

Wrestling
The Prophet (peace be on him) once wrestled with a man called Rukanah who was well-known for his strength, throwing him down more than once."(Reported by Abu Daoud). In another report of this incident, the Prophet (peace be on him) started wrestling with him. As the fight was hard, Rukanah said, "A sheep for a sheep."((This must have occured before the prohibiton of gambling, or perhaps the prophet SAW did not accept the bet and hence did not rnforce its terms.) The Prophet (peace be on him) then threw him. The man said, "The same again." The Prophet (peace be on him) threw him again, and the man said, "The same again." The Prophet (peace be on him) threw him a third time. The man then said, "What shall I tell my wife? One sheep was eaten by the wolf, one ran away, but what about the  third " Then the Prophit SAW said, "We are not going to defeat you and take something from you as well. Take your sheep!"
 
From these reports concerning the Prophet SAW, jurists have deduced the permissibility of foot racing, whether it be berween men against each other or between  men and womenwho are their (muharrmmat) or wives. They have also
concluded that foot racing, wrestling, and sports of this type do not compromise the dignity  of scholarship, piety, or age. The prophit (peace be on him) was more than fifty years when he raced with 'Aishah.
 

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