Is Using Slingshots for Sport Permissible?

Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick

Question

Is it permissible to use a slingshot for sport or leisure, given the hadith discouraging throwing stones?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

May Allah alleviate our difficulties and guide us to what pleases Him. Amin.

Using a slingshot for sport is permissible, as long as it is done responsibly, safely, and without harm. The prophetic discouragement is directed at misuse, not lawful and controlled recreation.

The hadith in which the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) discouraged throwing stones is understood to relate to harmful or purposeless use, particularly when it poses danger or is used in a way that does not achieve a valid objective.

The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) forbade slinging (throwing stones with force) and said:

“It does not hunt game, nor does it effectively harm an enemy, but it may gouge out an eye and break a tooth.” [Bukhari; Muslim]

The narration explicitly states why he (Allah bless him and give him peace) prohibited it, “it may gouge out an eye and break a tooth”. Based on this, scholars have explained that using these tools in a safe, controlled, and useful way is allowed. The prohibition only applies to reckless or harmful use, not to every use.

Similarly, many tools, such as bows, firearms, and similar items, pose risks, but they are still allowed when used responsibly and within proper limits.

A Related Note on Hunting

The hadith also shows that using stones or similar blunt tools for hunting is not valid in Sacred Law. Lawful hunting means the animal must be killed with a sharp tool that cuts, not by blunt force. [Shirbini, Mughni al-Muhtaj]

And Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar Shaykh Taha Karaan (Allah have mercy on him), where he taught.

Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Shaykh Muhammad Awama, Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Hitu, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.

He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has been the Director of the Discover Islam Centre, and for six years, he has been the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.

Shaykh Irshaad has fifteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town. He is currently building an Islamic podcast, education, and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy Prophetic living and fitness.