Short answer
The sports with clear backing in the sunnah are archery, horse riding and racing, running races and wrestling. Swimming is praised in reports from the Companions. Any sport that builds health and strength is permitted, as long as it covers the awrah, does not crowd out salah, involves no gambling and does not aim to harm.
Sports that build strength and skill for good purposes are permitted and rewarded with a good intention. Competing for a prize is allowed when the prize comes from one side or a third party; if both sides stake money, it is gambling and haram. Sport purely as a pastime that distracts from duties is makruh.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Sports are permitted, but competing for a prize is limited to riding and shooting, following the hadith that names them.
- Hanbali
- Like the Shafi'i school, prizes are limited to riding and shooting; other sports are allowed without a prize.
Explanation
The Prophet ﷺ was physically active and encouraged it. He said the strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak one. On the minbar he recited the verse about preparing strength and said three times: strength is shooting. He held horse races in Madinah, and he raced his wife Aisha on foot: she won the first time and he won the second.
Wrestling is reported in the famous story of Rukana, a strong man the Prophet ﷺ wrestled and threw. That report in Sunan Abi Dawud has a weak chain, but the Hanafi scholars, and the four schools, count wrestling for strength as permitted. Swimming is praised in reports from the Companions, and it is part of being able to save a life.
So the sports most linked to the sunnah are:
- archery and target shooting;
- horse riding and horse racing;
- running and races on foot;
- wrestling and grappling;
- swimming.
Modern sports like football, cricket, basketball, cycling, climbing and gym training are all permitted with conditions: men cover from the navel to the knee, women keep hijab and train in privacy from men, prayer is not missed, no bets are placed, and the face is not a target (see is boxing haram). A good intention, such as health to worship Allah and strength to serve your family, turns exercise into reward.
On prizes, the Prophet ﷺ said there is no prize except in racing camels, horses and shooting arrows. The Hanafi school also allows a prize in foot races and similar contests when it is paid by one side or a sponsor. Fantasy leagues where every player pays in and the winner takes the pot are gambling.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Anfaal 8:60
وَأَعِدُّوا۟ لَهُم مَّا ٱسْتَطَعْتُم مِّن قُوَّةٍۢ وَمِن رِّبَاطِ ٱلْخَيْلِ تُرْهِبُونَ بِهِۦ عَدُوَّ ٱللَّهِ وَعَدُوَّكُمْ وَءَاخَرِينَ مِن دُونِهِمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُهُمْ ۚ وَمَا تُنفِقُوا۟ مِن شَىْءٍۢ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ يُوَفَّ إِلَيْكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تُظْلَمُونَ ﴿٦٠﴾
And prepare against them whatever you are able of power and of steeds of war by which you may terrify the enemy of Allah and your enemy and others besides them whom you do not know [but] whom Allah knows. And whatever you spend in the cause of Allah will be fully repaid to you, and you will not be wronged.
The Prophet ﷺ explained the strength in this verse as shooting.
Sahih Muslim 1917
Sahih... ألا إن القوة الرمي ...
"Indeed, strength is shooting."
Archery is directly encouraged.
Sunan Abi Dawud 2578
Graded sahih... فسابقته فسبقته على رجلي ...
"Aisha said: I raced him on foot and I beat him."
Running races are part of the sunnah, even within the family.
Sahih al-Bukhari 420
Sahih... سابق بين الخيل التي أضمرت ...
"He held races between the horses that had been trained."
Horse racing was organised by the Prophet ﷺ.
Sunan Abi Dawud 2574
Grading to be checked... لا سبق إلا في خف أو في حافر أو نصل ...
"There is no prize except in racing camels, horses or shooting arrows."
This is the basis for the rules on prizes.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Durr al-Mukhtar, Kitab al-Hazr wa al-Ibaha, section on racing (musabaqa). Racing on horses, camels and foot and shooting are permitted, with a prize from one side only.
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Karahiyya, miscellaneous issues. Racing with arrows, horses and camels is permitted; a prize staked by both sides is gambling.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.