Is a man disciplining his horse and playing with his family considered amusement, or not, given the differing understandings of the two hadiths: "Every amusement is vain, and there is no praiseworthy amusement except for three: a man disciplining his horse, playing with his family, and shooting with his bow and arrow, for these are of the truth" and "Everything that is not remembrance of Allah is amusement and play, except for four things: a man playing with his wife, a man disciplining his horse, a man walking between two targets, and a man learning to swim"?

There is no contradiction between the two hadiths. The first hadith (definition) (Hadith of Uqbah ibn Amir) mentioned three activities that are not considered vain amusement: a man disciplining his horse, playing with his family, and shooting with his bow and arrow. As for the second hadith (Hadith of Jabir), it mentioned four activities that are not considered idle talk or amusement: walking between two targets, disciplining a horse, playing with one's family, and teaching swimming.

Although the chain of transmission for Uqbah's hadith is weak, its meaning does not contradict the meaning of Jabir's hadith; rather, it supports it. The intention is that these mentioned actions, even if they fall under the category of amusement, are not considered vain amusement that yields no reward. This is due to the benefit and reward they contain, and the outweighing legitimate Islamic interests they serve.