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Muhammad used to encourage his companions to maintain healthy bodies
Personal development through sport
Muhammad used to encourage his companions to maintain healthy bodies and learn different types of sports such as swimming, archery, horse riding and horse racing (horsemanship).
In addition, he participated in several running competitions with his companions, a sport that brings happiness and excitement. It is narrated that Muhammad used to do running races with his wife Aisha. She won the race once and he won the race on another occasion. This activity reflected the mutual love, harmony and fun Muhammad had with his wife.(Abu-Dawoud, 2/334, 2578. Ibn-Majeh, 3/149, 1979).
Muhammad allocated an area to be a racing field in the western side of the Nabawi Mosque in Madinah. Horse racing used to be conducted in the same field as well. A mosque was built next to the racing field and it was called the Sabaq Mosque (i.e. the mosque of the racing field).
