Is It Permissible to Pursue a Career as a Professional Athlete and Earn an Income from It?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
Is it permissible to pursue a career as a professional athlete and earn an income from it?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
Most athletic sports often involve prohibitive factors, like exposing one’s private areas in front of a global audience, gambling, and severe injury. Thus, it will not be permissible.
Islam emphasizes that enjoyment must remain within the limits and boundaries set by its teachings and should not fall into the category of exposing one’s private areas, gambling, nudity, music, aggressive physicality leading to severe injury, etc.
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) encouraged various sports and forms of entertainment. He said: “Any action which is void of the remembrance of Allah is futile (lahw) except for four actions: a) Walking between two targets, i.e., practicing with a bow and arrow/spear, b) Training one’s horse, c) Playing with one’s wife and d) Learning how to swim.’
[Nasa’i, Tabarani]
For a more in-depth exploration of this topic, please read these:
Is It Permissible to Play Sports with People Who May Expose Their Awrah?
Should Muslims Consider Practising Sport
Sports
I pray this helps answer your question.
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Presently, he lives in the UK with his wife and is interested in books and gardening.
