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Is wrestling permissible inside the mosque if it does not disturb the worshippers, knowing that it is from the Sunnah?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Wrestling, which is "throwing someone to the ground," is a permissible sport if it adheres to the controls of Sharia, such as not uncovering 'awrat (private parts), not striking the face, and not causing harm. What is commonly played now is not wrestling [in this traditional sense]. Furthermore, wrestling is not a Sunnah unless a legitimate benefit results from it, such as the conversion of Rukana to Islam. There is no evidence that Rukana's wrestling match took place in the mosque; rather, it was before the Hijra in Mecca.

As for the Abyssinians playing with spears in the mosque, this indicates its permissibility. An-Nasa'i titled a chapter on this: "Playing in the Mosque on Eid Day and Women Looking at That." This playing is not mere play; rather, it is training for jihad, and thus it is considered an act of worship. It is permissible in the mosque as long as it does not harm the worshippers, but it cannot be said to be a Sunnah.

In conclusion, wrestling is permissible in the mosque as long as it does not cause harm to the people of the mosque.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy