There are numerous Hadiths in the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH) in which he recommended certain martial arts. He asked Muslims to maintain health and prepare for many situations in their lives.
Thus, he (peace and blessings be upon him) says: “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 on how to swim.” (Reported by Tabarani).
A strong body is more capable of performing the obligations of life and religion. Islam provides a holistic approach to life. It doesn’t allow anything that may weaken the body. In fact, most of Islam’s rituals are based on two elements; spiritual and physical.
The Prophet (PBUH) urged Muslims to be active. Additionally, he advised them to teach their children how to be active and to combine their worship to Allah with activities that will benefit their health.
In this lecture, which took place in 2009, Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, the famous Pakistani Islamic scholar talked about sports in Islamic Shari’ah and how Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) reacted to it.
Sheikh ul-Qadri is a professor of international constitutional law at the University of the Punjab. He’s also the founding chairman of Minhaj-ul-Quran International. He has delivered more than 8,000 lectures on various topics.