Manners of Sports, Sleeping and Illness Lesson 65 Manners of Sports, Sleeping and Illness

Proper manners of sports: Islam calls for teaching young people useful sports such as swimming, horse-riding, shooting, racing, wrestling, etc.

Islam permitted betting on shooting, horse and camel racing but the money is to be given to the winner only, otherwise it will be considered gambling, which is prohibited.

Islam prohibits gambling, in all its forms, and games, including lottery.

The manners of sleeping: Sleep early after the Evening prayers, except when you are doing something lawful like studying or settling quarrels, etc.

It is recommended to sleep in the state of ablution.

Sleep on the right side.

Remember and praise Allah with a certain supplication before sleeping, if awakened during sleep, and in the morning.

Proper manners during illness: Patients should be patient and trust in Allah. It is permissible for authentic invocations to be recited for the patient but amulets are forbidden.

Islam urges the patient to take medicine and consult doctors.

It is recommended to isolate patients with a contagious disease from healthy people.

Visiting patients is a duty.

Evidence from the Qur’an and Sunnah

The Prophet (SAWS) said: Sports: The Prophet (SAWS) said: “A strong believer is better and dearer to Allah than a weak one.” (Reported by Muslim)

The Prophet (SAWS) said: “So shoot and ride, but your shooting is dearer to me than your riding.” (Reported by at-Tirmidhiyy)

The Prophet (SAWS) said: Allah said: “And make ready against them all you can of power., then he (the prophet) said: Hearken! power consists in archery, power consists in archery, power consists in archery.” (Reported by Muslim)

The Prophet (SAWS) said: “Everything with which a man amuses himself is vain except three (things): a man's training of his horse, his playing with his wife, and his shooting with his bow and arrow.” (Reported by Abu-Dawud)

The Prophet (SAWS) said: “Wager is allowed only in shooting arrows or racing camels, or hoof (i. e. horse, ass, and mule).” (Reported by at-Tirmidhiyy)

Salamah Ibn Al-Akwa` (RA) narrated: “The Prophet passed by some persons of the tribe of Aslam practicing archery (i.e. the shooting of arrows) Allah's Messenger said: O offspring of Ishmael! Practice archery (i.e. arrow shooting) as your father was a great archer (i.e. arrow- shooter). I am with (on the side of) the sons of so and so.

(Reported by Al-Bukhari) Hearing that, one of the two teams stopped shooting. Allah's Messenger asked them: Why are you not shooting? They replied: O Allah's Messenger! How shall we shoot when you are with the opposite team? He said: shoot, for I am with you all.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari)

`Ali Ibn Rukanah (RA) narrated: “Rukanah wrestled with the Prophet (SAWS) and the Prophet (SAWS) threw him on the ground.” (Reported by at-Tirmidhiyy)

Good manners towards sleeping:   Abu-Barzah (RA) narrated: “The Messenger of Allah (SAWS) considered it to be a disapproved act to sleep immediately before the Evening prayer or indulge in conversation after it.” (Reported by al-Bukhariyy)

The Prophet (SAWS) said: “If you go to bed perform the ablution for prayer, and then lie down on your right side.” (Reported by al-Bukhariyy and Muslim)

The Messenger of Allah (SAWS) used to say this supplication when he went to bed at night: “With Your Name, O Allah, I expire and return to life.” (Reported by al-Bukhariyy and Muslim)

On waking up, he used to say: “All praise belongs to Allah Who has resorted us back to life after causing us to die. Towards Him shall we return.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Upon going to bed, he would lie down on his right side and say: “O Allah! I have submitted myself to You. I have turned my face to You, entrusted my affairs to You and committed my back to You out of desire and fear of You (expecting Your reward and fearing Your punishment). There is no resort and no deliverer from (hardships) except You. I affirm my faith in Your Book which You have revealed and in Your Prophet whom You have sent.” (Reported by al-Bukhariyy and Muslim)

Ya`ish Ibn Tikhfah Al-Ghifari (RA) nattated: “While I was lying in the mosque on my stomach, a man began to shake me with his foot and then said: This is a method of lying which Allah hates. I looked and saw that he was the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).” (Reported by Abu-Dawud)

The Messenger of Allah (SAWS) said to Fatimah and `Ali (RA) when they asked him for a servant to help them in the housework: “Shall I teach you a thing which is better than what you have asked me? When you go to bed, say: Allahu Akbar thirty-four times, and Subhan Allah thirty-three times, and Al-Hamdu Lillah thirty-three times for that is better for you both than a servant.” (Reported by Muslim)

The Prophet (SAWS) said: “Whoever gets up at night and says: None has the right to be worshipped but Allah. He is the Only One and has no partners . For Him is the Kingdom and all the praises are due for Him. He is Omnipotent. All the praises are for Allah. All the glories are for Allah. And none has the right to be worshipped but Allah, And Allah is the Greatest and there is neither Might nor Power except with Allah), and then says: Allahumma, Ighfir Li (O Allah! Forgive me), or invokes (Allah), he will be responded to.” (Reported by al-Bukhariyy)

Ibn-`Abbas (RA) narrated: “The Prophet slept till midnight or nearly so and woke up rubbing his face and recited the last ten verses from Surah Al-`Imran. The Prophet, then, went towards a leather skin and performed ablution in the most perfect way and then stood for the prayer.” (Reported by al-Bukhariyy and Muslim)

Proper manners toward illness: Invocation and Ruqyah (Divine speech recited as a means of incantation Whenever the Prophet (SAWS) paid a visit to a patient or a patient is brought to him, he would invoke Allah saying: “O Allah! The Rabb (the Deity Who created everything) of mankind! Remove this disease and cure (him or her)! You are the Great Curer. There is no cure but through You, which leaves behind no disease.” (Reported by al-Bukhariyy and Muslim)

`Uthman Ibn-Abul-`As (RA) narrated: “I complained to the Messenger of Allah (SAWS) about a pain I had in my body.” The Messenger of Allah (SAWS) said, “Place your hand where you feel pain and say: Bismillah (In the Name of Allah) three times; and then repeat seven times: I seek refuge with Allah and with His Power from the evil that afflicts me and that which I beware (to take place in the future) (i.e. grief and fear).” (Reported by Muslim)

Abu-Sa`id al-Khudriyy (RA) narrated that Jibril (Gabriel) came to the Prophet (SAWS) and said: “O Muhammad (peace be upon him)! Do you feel sick?” He (SAWS) said: Yes. Jibril supplicated thus (i.e., he performed Ruqyah): Bismillahi Arqika, Min Kulli Shay’in Yu’dhika, Min Sharri Kulli Nafsin Aw `Ayni Hasidin, Allahu Yashfika, Bismillahi Arqika.

[With the Name of Allah. I recite over you (to cleanse you) from all that troubles you, and from every harmful Nafs (a person or a soul), and from the evil of the eyes of an envier. Allah will cure you; and with the Name of Allah, I recite over you].” (Reported by Muslim)

“There is no harm in the Ruqyah which does not smack of polytheism.” The Prophet (SAWS) said: “There is no harm in the Ruqyah which does not smack of polytheism.” (Reported by Muslim)

`Abdullah Ibn Mas`ud (RA) narrated: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (SAWS) saying: Spells, charms, and love-potions are polytheism.” (Reported by Abu-Dawud)

The Prophet (SAWS) said, "If anyone wears an amulet, may Allah not help him in fulfilling his wish. If anyone wears a sea-shell around his neck, may Allah give him no peace." (Reported by Ahmad)

(Reported by Ibn-Majah) His (SAWS) saying when he saw someone wearing a yellow copper bracelet: “What is this bracelet?” The man answered, “This is for the weakness or wahinah (pain in the hand up to the shoulder).” He (SAWS) said, “Take it off as it gives you nothing but increase your weakness.” (Reported by Ibn-Majah)

The Prophet (SAWS) said: Taking medicine:  The Prophet (SAWS) said: “Allah has sent down both the disease and the cure, and He has appointed a cure for every disease, so treat yourselves medically, but use nothing unlawful.” (Reported by Abu-Dawud)

The Prophet (SAWS) said: “There is no disease that Allah has created, except that He also has created its treatment.” (Reported by al-Bukhariyy)

Jabir (RA) narrated: “The Prophet (SAWS) sent a physician to Ubayy Ibn Ka`b and he cut his vein and then cauterized it.” (Reported by Muslim)

Isolating the ill persons: The Prophet (SAWS) said: “Do not put a patient with a healthy person (as a precaution).” (Reported by al-Bukhariyy and Muslim)

The Prophet (SAWS) said: “If plague breaks out in a land, do not enter it, and if it appears in land in which you happen to be, do not leave it.” (Reported by al-Bukhariyy and Muslim)

Visiting the ill person: The Prophet (SAWS) said: “Visit the sick, feed the hungry, and (arrange for the) release of the captive.” (Reported by al-Bukhariyy)

Whenever the Prophet (SAWS) visited an ailing person, he would say: “No harm, (it will be a) purification (from sins), if Allah wills.” (Reported by al-Bukhariyy)

The Prophet (SAWS) said: “None of you should die but with a good thought about Allah, the Exalted and Almighty.” (Reported by Muslim)