Taken from: MILESTONES
“And prepare against them whatever you are able of power.” 177
Uqbah bin Aamir narrated: I heard the Messenger of Allah T on the pulpit say: “And
prepare against them whatever you are able of power” and power is the ability to shoot,
power is the ability to shoot, power is the ability to shoot.” 178
Khalid bin Zaid said: I used to be good at archery and Uqbah would go out target
shooting with me. One day I was reluctant to go out so he told me: “O Khalid, let me tell
you what I heard the Messenger of Allah say. He T said: “Allah admits three people into Paradise
because of one arrow. The one who makes it, doing so with the intention of good, the one who shoots it
and the one who hands it over to the archer. So go out and train in archery and in horseback riding.
And I prefer you train in archery. Entertainment is appropriate in only three forms: Training your
horse, playing with your wife, and archery. And whoever learns archery and then abandons it has
rejected a blessing from Allah.” 179
Salamah bin al Akwa said: ‘The Messenger of Allah T passed next to boys playing a
game of archery. He said: “Shoot children of Ismael, your father was great archer. Shoot and I will
join so and so” and he joined one of the teams. The Messenger of Allah then said: “Why
did you stop?” They said: “How can we do so when you are with them?” He said: “Go ahead and
shoot, I am with all of you!” 180
Uqbah said: I heard the Messenger of Allah T say: “You will conquer many lands and you
will be safe and secure. If that happens don’t fail to play with your arrows!” 181
Ata bin Rabah said: I saw Jabir bin Abdullah and Jabir bin Umair al Ansari target
shooting while one of them got bored and sat down. The other told him: I heard the
Messenger of Allah T say: “Everything that is not remembrance of Allah is in vain except four
things: “Your walking between your targets, training your horse, playing with your wife, and swimming
practice.” 182
The scholars have stated that it is recommended to target shoot between two targets on
opposite sides. So you stand next to one and shoot at the other and then walk towards
the other one, pick up the arrows and then shoot at the first one.
The author of al Mughni stated that it is Sunnah to shoot at two opposite facing targets
since this was how the Sahabah used to practice. It is narrated that the Messenger of
Allah T said: “Between the two targets is a garden of Paradise.”
Abu Uthman al Nahdi said: We received a letter from Umar when we were with Utbah
bin Farqad in Azerbaijan. He said: “…Wear the dress of your father Ismael and beware of
luxury and the clothes of the non Muslims. Spend time under the sun since it is the bath of the Arabs.
Be rough, be coarse, and be prepared. Sometimes walk barefoot, and jump over horsebacks rather than
climb them. Shoot targets and walk between them.” 183
Amr bin Absah said: We were laying siege to al Taif and I heard the Messenger of Allah
T say: “Whoever shoots an arrow in the sake of Allah will be rewarded like one who has freed a
slave.” Amr said I shot 16 arrows on that day.184
Kaab bin Murrah said: I heard the Messenger of Allah T say: “Whoever reaches with his
arrow a target among the enemy, Allah will raise him one level in Paradise.” Abdullah bin al
Naham said: “And what is a level like?” The Messenger of Allah said: “Don’t think that a
level is like the doorstep of your mothers house. The distance between two levels is a hundred years.” 185
The Messenger of Allah T said: “Whoever shoots an arrow, regardless of whether it reaches the
enemy or not, would be like the one who frees a Muslim slave, and that would free him from
Hellfire.” 186
The Messenger of Allah T said whoever grows a grey hair in Islam, it will be light for him on the
Day of Judgment, and whoever shoots an arrow in the cause of Allah, whether he hits or misses will be
like the one who frees a slave from the descendents of Ismail.” 187
The Messenger of Allah T told his companions: “Stand up and fight!” So a man stood up
and shot an arrow. The Messenger of Allah said: “This man is granted Paradise.” 188
In the past hadith of Amr bin Absah is evidence that shooting one arrow in the path of
Allah saves that person from Hellfire and Allah knows best.
Ibrahim al Tamimi narrates from his father that he said: I have seen Huthaifah in Mada’in
running between his two targets with a bare top. 189
Mujahid said: “I have seen Abdullah bin Umar (ra) running between his two targets and he was
saying: how can I achieve it! How can I achieve it!” 190
“How can I achieve it” refers to Martyrdom since that was their aspiration – although it
could possibly be referring to the targets. This shows you the attention the companions
gave to target shooting. They used to celebrate target shooting and they were active in it
to the extent that one of them would not even walk between the two targets but would
run in order to train themselves. This was their practice and they are the suns and stars
of guidance, and the kings of this world and the next. What they did was the best of
actions. It is enough that Allah said about them: “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; and
those with him are forceful against the disbelievers, merciful among themselves. You see them bowing
and prostrating, seeking bounty from Allah and His pleasure. Their mark is on their faces from the
traces of prostration.” Therefore the target shooter should leave behind formalities while
practicing and should be laid back with their brothers when in practice. The intentions
should be for Allah and seeking His reward, and should realize that what they are doing
is one of the greatest acts of worship and not merely a form of entertainment or sport.
They should thank Allah for giving them health and strength to practice and should
praise Allah for making it beloved to them.
It is acceptable to laugh and play with your brothers while practicing, in fact, it is
recommended since it makes target shooting dearer to you. Bilal bin Saad said: “I have
seen men who would run between their targets and joke with each other, but when
night arrives they would be monks.” Bilal was one of them. He was one of the great
scholars of al Tabi’een and one of their worshipers. He was among the ones who would
pray a thousand rakahs per night.
Shams al Deen bin al Jawziah stated in his book “Knighthood” that Ibn Taymiyyah
said: “It is narrated that some men where target shooting when it was told to the
Messenger of Allah T: “It is time for prayers” He T said: “They are in prayers.” So he
considered that their target shooting is equivalent to praying.”
177 Surah al Anfal 60.
178 Muslim.
179 al Mussanaf, Musnad Abi Awnah, Abu Dawud and al Hakim.
180 Bukhari.
181 Muslim.
182 Nasa’i and Tabarani.
183 Al Sunnan al Kubra by al Bayhaqi.
184 Al Nasa’i, al Hakim, Tirmithi and Abu Dawud.
185 Al Mujtaba.
186 Al Nasa’i.
187 Al Tabarani.
188 Ahmad.
189 Saeed Mansoor.
