The Ruling On Taking Part In Boxing

Darulifta Ahlesunnat

(Dawateislami)

Question

   What do the scholars of Islam say about the following matter: Are sports in which the face is struck permissible, such as boxing?

بِسْمِ اللہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ ھِدَایَۃَ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ

   In normal circumstances, boxing and other sports in which the face is hit are impermissible and haram for several reasons:

   1. It is haram to strike the face of a human without a valid shar’i reason. In fact, when Islamic courts of law sentenced someone to a judicial corporal punishment, it was still not permissible to hit ˹the convict˺ in the face. It is even prohibited to throw water on the face with force during wudu. Thus, if it is not permitted to strike the face when enforcing judicial punishments nor to throw water on the face with force whilst making wudu, how can permission be given for sports in which striking the face is a key feature?

   2. In these sports, the body parts which have to be veiled obligatorily are usually exposed. Unnecessarily exposing these body parts is impermissible and haram even in solitude, so how great of a sin will it be to expose them in front of others? Moreover, it is even impermissible and haram to expose these body parts before others for the purpose of istinjāʾ, whereas they are exposed in these sports merely for entertainment and play, so how could this be permissible? Rather, it is Fard (compulsory), by consensus, to conceal the body parts which have to be veiled obligatorily in front of others and during salah.

   3. Such sports are a form of trivial entertainment and amusement which has no religious or worldly benefit. Every form of triviality is, at the very least, disliked (makrūh) and not allowed. Thus, if a form of entertainment also has an impermissible element, such as sports which involve hitting the face, it will be impermissible and haram.

وَاللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَرَسُوْلُہ اَعْلَم صَلَّی اللّٰہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّم

Answered By : Mufti Muhammad Hashim Khan Attari Madani

10th of Safarul Muzaffar, 1444 A.H./ September 07, 2022