Some Muslims argue that sports are a waste of time because it has no fundamental importance in the religion and that it deters people from worshipping Allah, but this notion is wrong because Islam is a strong religion for the strong people.
In order for a Muslim to worship Allah the way He should be worshiped, we have to be physically fit. Prophet Muhammed advised Muslims we should always take care of our health.
Muslims indulge in Halal sports to keep our mind and bodies in shape. In theory, a sportive person tends to age slower when compared to a person who does not take part in any form of exercise, i.e. their is exercise even in Salah; exercise helps you when standing for a long time or during bowing and prostration because all those require energy. During Ramadan, a physically strong person would naturally find it easier to stay away from food and also go about your normal duties because their body is better able to function under stress.
Allah the Almighty did not command us to eat, pray and sleep twenty-four hours a day for the rest of our lives. That kind of life style would only make Muslims unhealthy, lazy and fat. We need to be strong and physically fit in order to be able to practice this religion effectively. And the most profound way to attain this state of being is through sports and exercise within the limits of Islam in accordance to the Sharia.
Even Prophet Muhammad used to take his youngest wife Aisha to the desert for racing. In the days of the Prophet, people undertook various ways of exercising physically to make their bodies strong and healthy.
Sports can help Muslims to improve a lot of things in their lives. For example a Muslim can indulge in haram things because he thinks he has all the time in the world. An idle mind is a devils workshop. If you have a free time as a young Muslim growing up why not use that time to jog around, play basketball or any other sport.
Through that sport you are preventing yourself from committing sins, engaging yourself with the people of your community because sport unites people and improving your health at the same time. This is one of the best platform Muslims can have to get together and remind each other about Islam.
When a Muslim takes path in supporting activities, he or she should make sure that it doesn’t lead to the negligence of religious duties and other responsibilities especially the five daily prayers because then the sports becomes haram. When a Muslim takes part in any sporting activity, he or she should be mindful of their manners and code of conduct because this is Islam, whatever we do as Muslims; we do it by the book. That is, no swear words, no backbiting, no insults, slandering etc.
And also, Islam does not permit sports that allow the free mixing of the two genders. When a sport is strictly for males or vice versa, it is haram for them to be involved in the same game because through that kind of interaction, it might lead to attractions and other illicit behavior.
Finally, a Muslim should not only have a good religious moral but also a sound body and a sound mind as well. There is a Hadith which says ‘’ a strong believer is more beloved to Allah than a weak believer, there is goodness in both’’.
