Once, Someone Asked “Why Do You Prevent People From Participating In Sports…” Faqeeh-Ul-Ummat Hadhrat Mufti Mahmood Hasan Gangohi رحمه الله

Purpose in life

Mankind is the best of creation, and the believer holds an even more special status in the eyes of Allah Ta`ala. Thus, his primary purpose of creation was not to graze sheep and cattle, clean their dung and feed them fodder. Will he be fulfilling the purpose of his creation only through these actions? Did Allah Ta`ala create you only to graze cows? No! Allah Ta`ala has created you to serve His deen, lead your life according to the sunnat of Nabi _, learn the Qur’aan, teach the Qur’aan and spread the message of deen throughout the four corners of the world.

If we need to attend to these worldly activities for the benefit of deen, then there is no harm in it, but to make these actions the objectives of our lives is a deception. This fallacious reasoning needs to be rectified. We have not been created for the sole purpose of advancing in trade and farming. Yes, we will pursue these matters, but according to our needs and requirements.

Once, someone from Calcutta asked me, “Why do you prevent people from participating in sports and other harmless activities? Do we not have a right to engage in these activities?”

I explained, “Brother, ponder for a minute over the purpose of your creation. I will explain this through an example. A certain village is about to be annihilated by the enemy and, in order to save the people, someone is dispatched with a lorry or a truck to load the people and take them to safety. Before he reaches the village, he sees a few youngsters playing hockey or cricket, and he thinks to himself, ‘Don’t I also have a right to indulge in these amusements?’ What will we tell him?

“We will say, ‘Your duty was to take these people to a place of safety, not to play cricket!’

Similarly, Allah Ta`ala has sent us here to save others and ourselves from the fire of Jahannum. This is the purpose of our creation and we must strive to achieve this purpose.”

The Qur’aan, hadeeth, tafseer, tableegh, etc., are taught and practised upon so that we obtain and comprehend the true purpose of our creation. We have not been created solely to breed animals, engage in trade and construct monumental buildings. We have been created to learn deen, practise deen and teach others deen. Every other facet of life, be it the businesses, farms, houses, cars, etc. are to be compliant to the orders of Allah Ta`ala, and not the other way around.

الدنيا خلقت لكم وأنتم خلقتم للآخرة

Indeed the world has been created for you and you have been created for the aakhirah [hereafter].

The dunya has been created to serve us and we have been created to serve Allah Ta`ala. However, when man becomes oblivious and unmindful of the orders of Allah Ta`ala, then he becomes enslaved to his desires. He becomes the slave of his farm, his business, his work and duties, his house and his family, culminating in becoming the slave of Shaitaan. When we remove the ‘shackles’ of enslavement from Allah Ta`ala, then every creation of Allah Ta`ala will enslave us, but if we remain in the enslavement of Allah Ta`ala, every creation will be subjected to us. Every creation will fear us because He is their Master.

*Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَم  advised his companions to master the sports of archery, swimming and horse riding, this was for strength,fitness and Jihad not amusement and time wasting in Kuffar type sports.

D i s c o u r s e s o f  F a q e e h – u l – U m m a t