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Wrestling

المصارعة

Ibn Ishaq narrates, through Ishaq ibn Yasar, that the Prophet ﷺ invited Rukana ibn Abd Yazid of Banu al-Muttalib to Islam; the Prophet asked whether Rukana would know his claim to be true if he threw him, Rukana agreed, the Prophet threw him twice, and Rukana then said he was a sorcerer. 1 Ibn Hajar, in al-Isaba, gives the bout also through Abu Ja'far ibn Muhammad ibn Rukana from his father; Ibn Hibban found the chain doubtful, and Ibn Hajar judged that Muhammad ibn Rukana most likely dropped a link from the chain. 2 3 Abu Nu'aym lists the bout in his index of Companion reports under the incipit «the Prophet wrestled Rukana»; the body text was not legible in the scan used. 4

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Arabia

Games, play and leisure

Summary

Ibn Ishaq narrates, through Ishaq ibn Yasar, that the Prophet invited Rukana ibn Abd Yazid of Banu al-Muttalib to Islam. The Prophet asked whether Rukana would know his claim to be true if he threw him; Rukana agreed; the Prophet threw him twice, and Rukana then said he was a sorcerer. 1

Ibn Hajar, in al-Isaba, gives the bout also through Abu Ja'far ibn Muhammad ibn Rukana from his father. Ibn Hibban found the chain doubtful, and Ibn Hajar judged that Muhammad ibn Rukana most likely dropped a link from the chain. 2 3

Abu Nu'aym lists the bout in his index of Companion reports under the incipit «the Prophet wrestled Rukana»; the body text was not legible in the scan used. 4

Connections

Explore the connections

Related to
Rukana· Muhammad· Sabq (contests and races)

People and things also explored

Archery· al-Amin, the Trustworthy (the Prophet's title before his mission)· Hadith· Shama'il Muhammadiyya· The Prophetic sira· ar-Rahim — The Bestower of Mercy· Sabq (contests and races)· Abu Bakr leads the prayers during the final illness

Sources

  1. Kitab al-Sira wa-l-Maghazi — Ibn Ishaq (ed. Suhayl Zakkar) , p.276
  2. al-Isaba fi tamyiz al-sahaba — Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani , p.499
  3. al-Isaba fi tamyiz al-sahaba — Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani , p.531
  4. Ma'rifat al-sahaba — Abu Nu'aym al-Isfahani , p.682
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Wrestling”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/al-musara-a/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-30.

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Wing

Ideas

Beliefs, concepts, sciences and schools, explained in plain words. Related

Archery

The hadith «Shoot, sons of Isma'il, for your father was an archer» is recorded in Bukhari's index with a report from Salama ibn al-Akwa'. In Tirmidhi's Virtues chapter, Ali reports that on the day of Uhud the Prophet told Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas «Shoot; may my father and mother be your ransom», and Tirmidhi grades it hasan sahih. A prize in a race is allowed only for arrows, hoof and nasl, on the hadith «there is no prize except in hoof, hoof or nasl».