What Type of Sunna Is Wrestling?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

Is wrestling considered a Sunna ibad (act of worship) or simply a Sunna practice like riding a beast?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

Regardless of the type of Sunna, if one intends to follow the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) they will be rewarded in full for that intention.

Therefore, wrestling, swimming, archery, etc… are acts of worship as long as one’s intention is righteous – such as gaining strength, health, and skills to defend the Muslims and Islam.

Hope this helps

Allah knows best

[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch teaches Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he completed four years at the Darul Uloom Seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and several texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.