Is swimming Sunnah?

Yes swimming is Sunnah. It has been encouraged by the Prophet ﷺ in authentic Hadith narrations.

There are a number of Hadith narrations, of varying authenticity, regarding swimming. Some of the more authentic narrations have been mentioned below.

عَنْ عَطَاءِ بْنِ أَبِي رَبَاحٍ، قَالَ: رَأَيْتُ جَابِرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللهِ وَجَابِرَ بْنَ عُمَيْرٍ الْأَنْصَارِيَّ يَرْتَمِيَانِ فَمَلَّ أَحَدُهُمَا فَجَلَسَ، فَقَالَ لَهُ الْآخَرُ: كَسِلْتَ، سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ:  كُلُّ شَيْءٍ لَيْسَ مِنْ ذِكْرِ اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَهُوَ لَهُوٌ أَوْ سَهْوٌ إِلَّا أَرْبَعَ خِصَالٍ: مَشْيُ الرَّجُلِ بَيْنَ الْغَرَضَيْنِ، وَتَأْدِيبُهُ فَرَسَهُ، ومُلَاعَبَةُ أَهْلِهِ، وَتَعَلُّمُ السِّبَاحَةِ

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Everything (that) is not from the remembrance of Allah (Mighty and Majestic is He) is (either) idle entertainment or oversight, except for four: walking between the two targets (archery), training one’s horse, entertaining one’s family and learning to swim.’ (Cited in Imam al-Tabarani’s Mu’jam al-Kabir, 1785).

The narration above is at least Hasan as indicated by the statements of leading Hadith scholars.

رَوَاهُ الطَّبَرَانِيّ فِي الْكَبِير بِإِسْنَاد جيد. (الترغيب والترهيب)

(Imam) al-Tabaraani narrated it in (al-Mo’jam) al-Kabeer with a Jayyid (strong) chain. (Imam al-Mundhari, al-Targheeb wa al-Tarheeb).

رَوَاهُ الطَّبَرَانِيُّ فِي الْكَبِيرِ وَالْأَوْسَطِ وَالْبَزَّارُ، وَرِجَالُ الطَّبَرَانِيِّ رِجَالُ الصَّحِيحِ خَلَا عَبْدَ الْوَهَّابِ بْنَ بُخْتٍ وَهُوَ ثِقَة. (مجمع الزوائد ومنبع الفوائد)

Imam al-Tabarani has narrated it in al-Kabir and al-Awsat, and al-Bazaar (also narrated it). The narrators of al-Tabarani are all narrators of Sahih (authentic narrations) except for ‘Abd al-Wahhab Ibn Bukht, (as) he is trustworthy (Thiqah). (Majma’ al-Zawaid, Imam Noorud-deen al-Haythami).

A similar Hadith, with slightly variant wording, is cited in Imam al-Nasai’s al-Sunan al-Kubra:

عَنْ عَطَاءِ بْنِ أَبِي رَبَاحٍ قَالَ: رَأَيْتُ جَابِرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللهِ وَجَابِرَ بْنَ عُمَيْرٍ الْأَنْصَارِيَّيْنِ يَرْمِيَانِ قَالَ: «فَأَمَّا أَحَدُهُمَا فَجَلَسَ» فَقَالَ لَهُ صَاحِبُهُ: «أَكَسِلْتَ؟» قَالَ: «نَعَمْ» فَقَالَ أَحَدُهُمَا لِلْآخَرِ: أَمَا سَمِعْتَ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: كُلُّ شَيْءٍ لَيْسَ مِنْ ذِكْرِ اللهِ فَهُوَ لَعِبٌ، لَا يَكُونُ أَرْبَعَةٌ: مُلَاعَبَةُ الرَّجُلِ امْرَأَتَهُ، وَتَأْدِيبُ الرَّجُلِ فَرَسَهُ، وَمَشْيُ الرَّجُلِ بَيْنَ الْغَرَضَيْنِ، وَتَعَلُّمُ الرَّجُلِ السَّبَّاحَةَ

Atta ibn Abi Rabaah (May Allah Most High be pleased with him) said, ‘I saw the two Ansairs, Jabir bin ‘Abdillah and Jabir bin Umayr (May Allah Most High be pleased with them) shooting (arrows), until one of them sat down (because he grew tired), so his companion said to him, ‘Are you weary?’ He said: ‘Yes.’ He said to him: Have you not heard the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings be upon Him) saying: ‘Everything (that) is not from the remembrance of Allah (Glorified and Majestic is He) is futile, apart from four: a man entertaining his wife, disciplining his horse, walking between two targets (archery), and learning to swim.’ (al-Sunan al-Kubrah of al-Nasai, 8889).

Imam Ibn Hajr al-Asqalani considered this chain to be Hasan:

أخرجه النَّسَائِيّ وَإِسْحَاق وَالطَّبَرَانِيّ وَالْبَزَّار بِإِسْنَاد حسن. (الدراية في تخريج أحاديث الهداية)

Narrated by al-Nasai, Ishaq, al-Tabarani and al-Bazaar with a Hasan Isnad. (Imam Ibn Hajr al-Asqalani, al-Dirayah).

In a different Hadith it is mentioned that being taught to swim is the right of a child. However this Hadith is probably very weak (Munkar).

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْقَاسِمِ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ السَّرَّاجِ , إِمْلَاءً، أنبأ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عُبْدُوسٍ الطَّرَائِفِيُّ، أنبأ عُثْمَانُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، ثنا يَزِيدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ رَبِّهِ، ثنا بَقِيَّةُ، عَنْ عِيسَى بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي سُلَيْمَانَ مَوْلَى أَبِي رَافِعٍ، عَنْ أَبِي رَافِعٍ، قَالَ: قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ , أَلِلْوَلَدِ عَلَيْنَا حَقٌّ , كَحَقِّنَا عَلَيْهِمْ؟ قَالَ: ” نَعَمْ حَقُّ الْوَلَدِ عَلَى الْوَالِدِ أَنْ يُعَلِّمَهُ الْكِتَابَةَ، وَالسِّبَاحَةَ، وَالرَّمْيَ، وَأَنْ يُوَرِّثَهُ طَيِّبًا “، هَذَا حَدِيثٌ ضَعِيفٌ، عِيسَى بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْهَاشِمِيُّ هَذَا مِنْ شُيُوخِ بَقِيَّةَ، مُنْكَرُ الْحَدِيثِ ضَعَّفَهُ يَحْيَى بْنُ مَعِينٍ وَالْبُخَارِيُّ وَغَيْرُهُمَا

Abi Rafi (May Allah Most High be pleased with him) narrated, I said ‘O Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings be upon Him) does a child have a right upon us?’ He (Peace and Blessings be upon Him) said: ‘Yes, the rights of the child over the father include being taught writing, swimming and archery.’ This hadith is weak, Isa bin Ibrahim al-Hashimi is from the Shayookh of Baqiyah, he is Munkar in Hadith. Yahya ibn Ma’in, al-Bukhari and others considered him to be weak. (Imam al-Bayhqai, al-Sunan al-Kubra).

وَرَوَى الْبَيْهَقِيُّ بِإِسْنَادٍ ضَعِيفٍ عَنْ أَبِي رَافِعٍ رَفَعَهُ: حَقُّ الْوَلَدِ عَلَى الْوَالِدِ أَنْ يُعَلِّمَهُ الْكِتَابَةَ، وَالسِّبَاحَةَ، وَالرَّمْيَ. (التلخيص الحبير)

(Imam) al-Bayhaqi narrated it with a weak chain from Abi Rafi (May Allah Most High be pleased with him), (raising it to the Prophet ﷺ) ‘The rights of the child over the father include being taught writing, swimming and archery.’ (Ibn Hajr in Talkhees al-Kabir)

وَرَوَى الْبَيْهَقِيُّ مِنْ حَدِيثِ أَبِي رَافِعٍ «حَقُّ الْوَلَدِ عَلَى الْوَالِدِ أَنْ يُعَلِّمَهُ الْكِتَابَةَ وَالسِّبَاحَةَ وَالرَّمْيَ» وَإِسْنَادُهُ ضَعِيفٌ. (نيل الأوطار)

(Imam) al-Bayhaqi narrated it from Abi Rafi (May Allah Most High be pleased with him): ‘The rights of the child over the father include being taught writing, swimming and archery.’ The chain is weak. (Imam al-Showkani, Nayl al-Owtaar).

Irrespective of the concerns with the authenticity of this last Hadith, there is no doubt that authentic Hadith establish the virtue of swimming. Therefore, it is correct to say that swimming is Sunnah.

And Allah Most High Knows Best.

– Answered by Shaykh Noorud-deen Rashid (31.01.2022)

-Special thanks to Sidi Yusuf Asghar for assisting with Nusoos translation.

See also:

What do the different Hadith classification terms mean?

Referencing Hadith Correctly

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