FatwaFederal TerritoriesQuran & Hadith
IRSYAD AL-HADITH SIRI KE-150: MEMANAH, BERENANG DAN BERKUDA
What is the status of the hadith about teaching children swimming, archery and horse riding?
Short answer
The hadith "Teach your children swimming and archery" is judged very weak (dhaif) after reviewing scholars' assessments of its chains of narration.
A reference, not a fatwa. First sentence of the summary below — read the original fatwa and consult your state authority before acting.
- Authority
- Federal Territories Mufti Office
- Date
- Status
- Opinion (irsyad)
- Series
- Irsyad al-Hadith
- Topic
- Quran & Hadith
No evidence of gazettement in the source — this is not a gazetted fatwa.
Summary
The hadith "Teach your children swimming and archery" is judged very weak (dhaif) after reviewing scholars' assessments of its chains of narration. The wording that mentions archery, horse riding and swimming is in fact a saying of Umar bin al-Khattab, not a hadith of the Prophet. Nevertheless, other authentic and hasan hadiths indicate encouragement to learn archery, swimming and horse riding. Shooting and similar skills may be included under archery because they are alike in nature.
Written in our own words from the original fatwa — check the source before acting on it.
Setelah melihat penilain di atas, kami melihat dan cenderung untuk mengatakan bahawa hadith ini adalah teramat lemah (dhaif ).
Read the full fatwa on the Federal Territories website (new tab)
How to cite
Cite the original fatwa and its authority. Rujuk Fatwa is only where you found it.
Federal Territories Mufti Office. “IRSYAD AL-HADITH SIRI KE-150: MEMANAH, BERENANG DAN BERKUDA”, 14 December 2016. https://muftiwp.gov.my/ms/artikel/irsyad-al-hadith/1042-irsyad-al-hadith-siri-ke-150-memanah-berenang-dan-berkuda. Found via Rujuk Fatwa: https://rujukfatwa.com/en/fatwa/status-hadith-teach-children-swimming-archery-riding/