Life in Islamic civilization has other faces, contrary to what is common;

The Muslims were not only the people of war, riders’ hostels, a mosque, a school, a book, and a vast country rained with kharaj, full of strength and flourishing with urbanization, but the Muslims also knew gentle humor and fair play, and various types of physical and mental sports, vibrant with enjoyment and benefit.

It is an aspect of neglected history that disturbs the stereotyped picture of Muslim history, which is intended to be reduced to fragmented and unjust images that the drama and modern methods of history have unfortunately contributed to its consecration and focus in the minds.

The details of fun and games were absent from that drama, and the details of the ordinary human daily life of a Muslim faded.

Muslims used to play and entertain according to disciplined rules of professional purposeful play;

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was one of the great Arab wrestlers, and his camel won most of the camel races and was defeated at times. The imams of the followers were among the most skilled chess players in history, and scholars and princes loved swimming, ball, hunting and athletics.

In this article;

We will introduce you to the world of sports in Islamic civilization to explore the level of professionalism that it has reached in terms of diversity, discipline, encouragement and spread among all segments of society.

A previous inheritance The


Arabs knew in their ignorance many types of group games they used to play from the first childhood until after puberty, and Arabic dictionaries mention the names of dozens of these games; The linguist and imam Ibn Siddah Al-Andalusi (d. 458 AH/1067 AD) held a chapter in his book 'Al-Mukhasas' which he called: "General names of amusement and amusement", and he included in it a chapter on "Play", in which he mentioned the names of 42 games. Then came Ibn Manzur (d. 711 AH / 1311 AD) and added to him - in "Lisan al-Arab" - many games explaining how to play some of them.

And speaking of the Meccan society in particular; The historian Al-Fakihi (d. 272 ​​AH / 885 AD) - in his book 'Akhbar Makkah' - devoted a chapter entitled: "Remember what the people of Mecca used to play with in the pre-Islamic era and then left it after that"; He mentioned in it that Omar Ibn Al-Khattab (d. 23 AH / 645 AD) came to Mecca and saw the [game] 'Karak' being played with [a], so he said: Were it not for the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, he approved you, I would not have approved you! The Meccans said: It is an ancient game that the people of Makkah used to play, and it continued until the year two hundred and ten (210 AH/825 AD).

Al-Fakihi adds, explaining the nature of this game and what it received from the Jamahiriya: “The people of Makkah used to play with it on every Eid, and every neighborhood in Makkah had a ‘karak’ known by them. So they stayed on that and then left it for a long time not playing with it until it was in the year two hundred fifty-two (252 AH/866 AD).. Then they left it until today!! The beholder of dictionaries is likely to think that this game is the same as the one called “Al Karaj”, which is Persian and Arabised, and it is a wooden statue “taken as a pony that is played on it”; According to Ibn Manzur in Lisan Al Arab.

Among the intelligence games that were known to the Arabs is the game "Gurg" mentioned by Abu Obaid Al-Harawi (d. 401 AH / 1011 AD) in the 'Book of Strangers in the Qur'an and Hadith'; He said that it was reported “in the hadith of Abu Hurairah: “He (= the Prophet, peace be upon him) would have seen them playing with trumpets, but he would not forbid them.” Rather, it is a square line in the middle of it is a square line in the middle of it is a square line, then he draws from every angle from the first line to the line The second, and between each of the two corners a line, so it becomes twenty-four" lines. It was played with pebbles and the like placed over these lines, and people play it to this day, and it is called “Drees” in the Levant.

One of the most common Arab games was wrestling.

Among the most famous of what was mentioned in it is the story of the Prophet, peace be upon him, wrestling with Ibn Rukanah al-Qurashi in Mecca, which was narrated - in “The Beginning and the End” by Imam Ibn Katheer (d. 774 AH / 1372 AD) “with a good chain of transmission on the authority of Ibn Abbas (d. 68 AH / 688 AD)”, and its summary is “that Yazid Ibn Rukanah wrestled with the Prophet.. The Prophet slew him three times.. When he was in the third, he said: O Muhammad, no one before you has laid my back on the ground!!

Control and consolidation


. Hence, we are not exaggerating if we say that sports in the history of Islam are as old as his message, for their beginnings go back to the time of the Prophet, peace be upon him, when he approved of them what was prevalent and practiced in pictures and details of great order and complexity, and by monitoring them it can be said that the games in the Prophet’s city - first The capitals of the Islamic State were of two types: a festive/carnival type, and another with a competitive sporting character, and the two types may meet on one level.

As for the festive event, the hadith of the Mother of the Believers, Aisha, which was narrated by Al-Bukhari (d. 256 AH/870 CE) in his Sahih, was famous. She said: “One day I saw the Messenger of God, peace be upon him, at the door of my room, and Abyssinia was playing in the mosque - and the Messenger of God, peace be upon him, covered me with his robe – look at their games.” In some narrations, it was stated that they were "playing with their spears".

This seems to have been an inherent custom in the Ansar community of Medina;

Abu Dawud (d. 273 AH / 886 AD) reported on the authority of Anas bin Malik (d. 93 AH / 712 AD) from the news of their celebrations of the arrival of the Prophet, peace be upon them, as an emigrant from Mecca that “when the Messenger of God, peace be upon him, came to Medina, Abyssinia played with their spears in joy for his arrival.”

This is confirmed by what was reported by Imam Sibt Ibn al-Jawzi (d. 654 AH / 1256 AD) - in “Mirror of Time” - that when he, peace be upon him, was an immigrant, “in Medina there were Abyssinians playing with spears, so they played in his hands.., and the Ansar did not rejoice in anything like their joy at his arrival”!

What comes to mind is that playing with spears is speculative or simulating combat, as Ibn al-Munir (d. 683 AH / 1284 AD) said in what was reported by al-Karmani (d. 786 AH / 1384 AD) in his explanation of Sahih al-Bukhari: It is serious because it resembles a game because (= the player) intends to stab and does not do it, and by doing so it makes him deceive his partner, even if it is his father or his son.” However, Al-Kirmani himself described the Abyssinia as “dancing”, and Al-Dhahabi (d. 748 AH / 1347 AD) - in the 'History of Islam' - supports this with a narration that says: "And the Abyssinia in the mosque they play with their spears and weep (= they dance)".

The commentators of this hadith derive from it jurisprudential rulings and meanings that have been related to the reality of people, including our time today, such as the ruling on watching sports; Ibn Battal al-Qurtubi (d. 449 AH/1058 AD) - in his explanation of Sahih al-Bukhari - went to the “permissibility of looking at permissible amusement” based on this hadith, and considered that playing with spears is “a [prophetic] Sunnah, to be a tool for meeting the enemy and for people to train in it.” This may be considered a basis for military parade with weapons, and strenuous sports movements such as weightlifting and the like.

Multiple employment


It seems that playing as a party has become a profession in which some people work; Ibn Abi Shaybah (d. 235 AH / 848 AD) - in 'Al-Musannaf' - narrated that Ibn Abbas "when he circumcised his sons, he called the players [and in a narration: Playboys] and gave them four dirhams, or he said: three." Later, the historians mentioned that some of the caliphs and sultans brought these salivas closer, celebrated them and used them in official ceremonies with the regular soldiers, as the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad did in his military parade in front of the Tatar envoy in the early seventh / thirteenth century AD, where he came out “creating people playing with oil and throwing hazelnuts.” (= little balls) The glass had oil in it, and the wilderness was filled with fire"; According to golden.

Among the festive games, the traveler Ibn Jubayr al-Andalusi (d. 614 AH / 1217 AD) - on his journey - depicted with great accuracy the celebrations of the people of Mecca for the season of "Umrah Rajabiya"; He said that they went out "in a celebration the like of which has not been heard, the people of Mecca gathered for it from the first time, so they came out on their ranks, a tribe, a tribe, and a hot neighborhood, complaining (= armed) in arms, cavalry and men.. in a strange arrangement, for the knights among them came out with their horses and played with weapons on them, and the men jumped on them. They intermarry (= maneuvering) with weapons in their hands spears, swords and hollows (= plural of buffalo: a leather shield), and they show stabbing each other and clashing with swords and defending hollows that they swarm (= shielding) and they were hurling at them, and they were hurling at them in the air. Their teeth (= their blades) were aimed at their heads while they were in a crowd.. and some of them might throw swords in the air, and they would receive them caught on their legs as if they did not leave their hands!!

Games were often part of the official celebration of victory in a battle;

As happened in the year 647 AH / 1249 AD when the Ayyubid princes of Levant defeated their cousins ​​in Egypt, so they entered the country amid brilliant celebrations, "and divided Cairo while playing with spears between the two palaces on their horses";

According to the historian Ibn al-Dawadari (died after 736 AH / 1435 AD) in 'Kinz al-Durar'.

Among the later chronological examples of this is what Al-Hallaq Al-Budairi (d. after 1175 AH / 1762 AD) mentioned - in 'Damascus Daily Incidents' - that in the year 1156 AH / 1744 AD, "The governor of Damascus, Suleiman Pasha Ibn al-Azm (d. 1156 AH / 1744 AD) in [Iqama] He was happy for the sake of his son’s circumcision.. He gathered all the playgrounds there.. Notables and dignitaries gathered in it.. He gave them freedom for the sake of the playgrounds. The strangeness of representing the brave Arabs, and so on.

Whoever played by the Muslims in the past was not pure entertainment, and this is what all people shared in, and not even their jurists and their arrogance would disdain it. Rather, the sultans’ interest in, for example, games and players was one of the king’s necessities that are recommended by the Book of Royal Etiquette. In the book ‘Al-Taj’ attributed to Al-Jahiz (d. 255 AH / 869 AD) it states that “the blood of the king and his entourage are traits (= qualities) in which they equal the king as a necessity, there is no shortage in it. The king is under no obligation to the king, including: playing with the ball, seeking fishing, throwing at objects (= goals), playing chess, and the like.

Societal inclusion


As for the scholars; Among the situations that the translation books of their games have observed is what Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (d. 795 AH / 1392 AD) narrated - in the 'Tail of Tabaqat al-Hanbali' - that a Hanbali ascetic named Abu Mansour Abdul Aziz bin Thabit al-Baghdadi (d. 596 AH / 1200 AD) "was kind in his company." , we went out to visit the tomb of Imam Ahmad (bin Hanbal, 241 AH/855 AD), then we moved back to the beach, so the jurists went down to swim in the beach. Where is Sheikh Muhammad al-Naal (died after 596 AH / 1200 AD) to see you?! He said: Oh poor! The Almighty God sees us!

Children had their toys with which they rejoiced in the squares and roads day and night. We often find in dictionaries an explanation of a word as “boys’ toy”;

It was reported - in 'Sahih Muslim' - that the incident of splitting the chest of the Prophet, peace be upon him, occurred to him when he was young, "while he was playing with boys."

Al-Dhahabi also mentioned - in the “Sir of the Nobles’ Flags” - that Abu Hurayrah (d. 59 AH / 680 AD) was the owner of children's treats in the Prophet's city, and therefore "maybe the boys came - while they were playing the game of bedouins at night - so they did not feel until he threw himself among them, and hit his feet, so the boys were frightened Feveron!"

As the boys had their toys;

The girls had toys in the form of puppet dolls that the Arabs called “the girls,” which are “ivory statues,” as Ibn Sidh explained them;

Ibn Manzoor said: “Girls are the statues with which the female slave girls play.”

And it was reported in “Sahih Al-Bukhari” that “Aisha - may God be pleased with her - said: I used to play with ‘girls’ with the Prophet, peace be upon him, and I had friends who played with me.”

One of the funniest games for girls in the big cities is the “Dubarka” doll, which is similar to what is known today as the “Barbie” doll, although it is of a larger size. Judge Al-Muhsin Al-Tanukhi (d. 384AH/995AD) mentioned it - in “Nashwar Al-Mahazar” - he said: “Al-Dobarka: a foreign word And it is a name for toys as much as boys. The people of Baghdad would put them on their roofs on the nights of the [Eid] 'Nyrouz al-Mutadhidi' (= the beginning of the calendar year of the financial year of the Buyid state), and they would play with them and bring them out in a beautiful dress of luxurious clothes and ornaments, and they would honor them as they do with brides, and the drums beat between their hands. And the buzzer!!

Since the Prophet's era, competitive sports have had a great deal of popular interest and "official care". Although Islamic law closed the doors of gambling that destroys money without benefiting the community, it excluded from the race what could help in strength and equestrianism and prepare the members of society with a physical preparation that gives them strength and activity, such as throwing and horse and camel racing; Abu Dawood, al-Tirmidhi (d. 279 AH/892 AD), al-Nasa’i (d. 303 AH/915 AD) and others narrated from the hadith of Abu Hurairah on the authority of the Prophet, peace be upon him, that he said: “There is no precedent (= prize for winning) except in a blade (= shooting match), or a slipper (= camel racing), or hoof (= horse racing).

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, sponsored this type of competition and attended it as a supervisor, participant and encouragement; That is why it came in 'Sahih al-Bukhari' from the hadith of Ibn Umar "that the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, raced between the horses that had been tamed (= prepared for racing and fighting) from al-Hafia and extended them to the farewell fold (the distance between the two locations is approximately 10 km), and he raced between the horses that were not tamed from the fold to the Bani Zuraiq Mosque, and that Abdullah bin Omar was among those who preceded it. As for archery, it was beloved to the Prophet, peace be upon him. Al-Bukhari narrated from the hadith of Salamah bin Al-Akwa’ (d. 74 AH / 693 AD) that he said: “The Prophet, peace be upon him, passed by a group of Muslims who were striving in opposition, and the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Shoot Banu Ismail, for your father was an archer”!

As for the camel race;

The she-camel of the Prophet, peace be upon him, always participated in it, and it always won except once.

As Al-Bukhari narrated in his Sahih from the hadith of Anas bin Malik that he said: “The Prophet, peace be upon him, had a she-camel called Al-Adba [and in some narrations: Al-Qaswa], which did not race. He said: “It is God’s right that nothing is raised from the world except that He lowers it.”

rules governing


those prophetic precedents;

It has been established among the scholars that they “permit playing … [with everything] that sharpens the mind and teaches the deceptions of war and ways to guard against the machinations of the enemies, so its ruling is the ruling on permissible playgrounds such as horse racing and arrow shooting and so on.”

According to what was summed up in that by the scholar Mahmoud Shukri Al-Alusi (d. 1342 AH / 1924 AD) in 'Mukhtasar al-Tahfa al-Twelfthiya'.

Therefore, Islamic jurisprudence books focused on explaining the provisions of racing and shooting sports and the rules for monitoring and winning prizes.

There is no doubt that the prophetic supervision of these races produced controls that we can prepare as the origin for what athletes today call “the rules of fair play”; Among this is what was narrated by Abu Dawood, al-Tirmidhi and al-Nasa’i that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “There is neither jalb nor janb,” adding [in a narration]: “In the bet.” This was interpreted by Imam Malik ibn Anas (d. 179 AH / 796 AD), he said in the 'Muwatta': "The Fetch the trailing horse in the race, Faihrk behind the thing induced by Visbak; it fetch. As for the side it avoids with the horse racing by horse, even If he comes, his rider turns on the stooped horse and takes the lead (= the prize of the race)”!

In the rules of competitive shooting, we find Imam al-Shafi’i (d. 204 AH / 820 AD) issuing a fatwa, saying: “It is not permissible to [take] the lead until each of the combatants (= competitors in the shooting) knows who he is shooting with and upon him, by being present to see him or absent knowing him.”

Al-Shafi'i elaborated on these "rules of fair play" in his book called 'The Mother', and mentioned many fatwas regarding them.

As for the writer Al-Jahiz, he sets for us - in the book “The Crown” - clear and fair rules for fair play, deciding that the ruler and the ruled are equal in compliance with them;

He says that “it is the king’s right not to prevent his temptations from what is required of him from seeking justice (= justice).. and from the right of tampers with him is strife and demands, equality and opposition, and avoiding anger, and taking from the right to its maximum limits; however, that is not with him (=) abuse), nor obscene speech (= obscenity), nor opposition to what removes the right of the king, nor shouting that raises his speech, nor grunting, nor slander (= slander), nor what is outside the scale of justice” in the game.

Related to the rules of disciplined play is the talk about refereeing in games and the referees who take care of the faithful application of these rules to competitors;

It seems that this was the case with our ancestors, at least in some games, so that they sometimes assigned him a job that they called a term close to the word “arbitration” that we know today.

The translation books have preserved for us the name of one of those who assumed this position, the poet Muhammad ibn al-Abbas ibn Abi al-Fadl (died after 610 AH / 1212 AD), known as “Abu Abdullah al-Mawsili al-Hakam.”

It was stated in ‘Qala’id al-Juman’ by Kamal al-Din Ibn al-Sha’ar al-Mawsili (d. 654 AH / 1256 AD) that this Abu Abdullah al-Mawsili “taken over.. 'government in the stadiums’.. as a profession of culture and conflict.. and to Him is the judgment in that.”


Various


encouragement Encouragement and the public’s role in the winning industry has been present since the dawn of Islam as well, and the first thing we mention in that is the story of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, encouraging a team against a team in archery. (= Encouraging them!) He said: So one of the two groups grabbed their hands, so the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Why do you not throw?!” They said: How can we shoot while you are with them?! The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Shoot, for I am with you all!” The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, - in his honorable destiny and his fatherhood for all - for a certain team prevented the opposing team from continuing to play, and at that time, the Prophet ﷺ committed himself to neutrality out of concern for the feelings of the other team.

And if the two teams of the match attended by the Prophet, peace be upon him, were formed based on the criterion of lineage; Islamic history has witnessed - after the expansion of countries and the civilization of cities - the competition of sports teams according to their affiliation to countries, that is, on the same origin that contemporary sports bodies deal with. Examples of this are what al-Safadi (d. 764 AH / 1363 AD) mentioned - in 'A'ayan al-Asr' - of the rivalry between the two princes Nasir al-Din bin Al-Jukandar (died after 715 AH / 1315 AD) and Alaa al-Din Qatlija (d. 720 AH / 1315 AD).

Imam al-Safadi said: "We used to watch them, and people would say: This is the Tabji of Egypt (= Nasir al-Din) and this is the Tabji of Damascus. Prince Nasir al-Din was the most agile on the horse's back and the fastest movement, and Prince Alaa al-Din Qalitha if he took the ball with his mace (= his racket) what he needed with him Except for one hit and it has reached the range (= the goal is scored)!!" This is despite the fact that Aladdin was known for his extreme athletic agility, as he was “drive the horse and take half of the quince from its branch and leave the half in its place while it is in the strongest of the horse’s journey, which is a miraculous thing for others.”

Encouraging athletes based on their sectarian affiliation remains the strangest type of encouragement observed historically. Among his indicative examples is what Qadi al-Muhsin al-Tanoukhi tells that Sultan al-Buwaihi in Iraq, Mu’izz al-Dawla (d. 356 AH / 967 AD) was very interested in some sports such as running, wrestling and swimming, so he spent money in them and organized teams for them and spread them among the people. But the sport of running, in particular, took most of his care and attention; Because he "needed the messengers (= runners) to make them groups (= messengers) - between him and his brother Rukn al-Dawla (d. 366 AH / 997 AD) - to the irrigation (= Tehran today), so they would cross that long distance in the short period, and the quality of the pursuit gave the desires ( = the big prizes), so the events of (= boys) Baghdad... were keen on that!

One of the results of this frantic, popular and officially supported race was that the people “engaged in it and handed over their children to it; so two runners (= two runners) for Mu’izz al-Dawla grew up: one of them is known as ‘Maroosh’, and the other as ‘Fadl’, each of them striving for over thirty leagues (= 200 Approximately how many) on a day from sunrise to sunset..., and [Mu'izz al-Dawla] arranged on every league of the road a people who incite against them, so they became the imams of the messengers in Baghdad, and the messengers belonged to them and the people were intolerant of them"; According to the forecast.

Abu Hayyan al-Tawhidi (d. after 400 AH/1010 AD) tells us about the great preoccupation of people with encouraging these two hostility. He says in 'Enjoyment and sociability': "Look at Fadl and Mar'oosh.. How did the people use them and with fanaticism towards them, until everyone in Baghdad became either a favourite or a virtuous one!" Even the judge of the judges at that time entered one of the areas of Baghdad, “So some of these free men were attached to the bridle of his mule, and said: O judge, let us know: are you a maraushi or a fadli”?! As for Ibn al-Atheer, he clarified the picture more by warning that this encouragement was hiding a sectarian tendency. He said that the two runners, "one of them was a Sunni courier (= Fadl), and the other was a Shia courier (= Mar'oosh)!!"


Love and division, and


if the male contestants are influenced by the audience and care about it, nothing can do them justice to encourage women, especially if they have a lover who wants to win her admiration before winning the race; This imam Ibn Qutayba al-Dinuri (d. 276 AH / 892 AD) mentions - in 'Poetry and Poets' - a story that took place between the two famous lovers, Tawbah bin al-Humayr (d. 85 AH / 705 AD), and Jamil bin Muammar (d. 83 AH / 703 AD).

Ibn Qutayba says: “Tawbah was traveling to the Levant, and he passed by Bani Uthra, and Buthaina saw him, so she began to look at him, so he split that on Jamil, and that was before his love for her was revealed, and Jamil said to him: Who are you? He said: Do you have a fight? He said: That’s for you, so Buthaina gave him a draped wrap (= dyed with wars) so he girded it, then wrestled with him and he smashed it beautifully, then he said to him: Do you have a fight? Then he said to him: Are you in the race? He said: Yes, so race him, then Jamil preceded him. He said to him: Repentance: Oh this, you are doing this with the wind (= force of encouragement) this seated woman! And we beat him! Jamil won when he played on his land and in front of his fans represented by his beloved Buthaina, then when he lost his land and his fans were defeated and defeated!!

Wherever the crowd lining up to encourage the players, it always ends in sports fanaticism and cheerleading mania. Therefore, al-Jabarti (d. 1237 AH / 1825 AD) mentions - in his history “Amazes of Antiquities” - explaining the origin of the division of the Egyptian soldiers - the beginning of the Ottoman era - into “Faqaria” and “Qasimiyya”, that the Ottoman Sultan Selim I (d. 926 AH / 1520 AD) ordered the soldiers to They are all divided into two parts: one whose chief is [Prince] Dhul-Fiqar (died after 922 AH / 1517 AD) and the second is his brother [Prince] Qassem al-Karar (died after 922 AH / 1517 AD). He added to Dhul-Fiqar the most Ottoman knight and to Qasim the most courageous Egyptian, and he distinguished al-Faqariyya By wearing white clothes, he ordered Al-Qasimiyyah to distinguish themselves in red in clothes and stirrups.

Al-Jabarti describes the heated atmosphere of the matches between the two teams. He says that the Sultan "ordered them to ride in the field in the form of combatants and the image of the quarreling opponents, so they submitted by submission and rose on the backs of horses, and walked with horses and descended like a torrent.. Racing and spears after succession, and took turns in the fight and rushed like mountains, and they went (= Al-Atjar) in the tajjar dust), and they played with spears and met with swords (= swords wide), and the voices rose and shouts increased.., and the killing and fighting were close to taking place, so we called them to separate at that!!

One of the fruits of this hot play was that the teams “Ahly” and “Zamalek” appeared in the land of Kenana about five centuries before their era, and they had fanatical fans and the colors of expressing this encouragement more than what we see for them in our time; Al-Jabarti tells us: “From that day on, the princes and soldiers of Egypt split into two groups and divided this game into two parties, and each of them continued to love the color in which it appeared and hated the other color in everything they accept!! Gentlemen and slaves until it materialized and grew, and blood was shed (= shed) in it! How many lands were ravaged, glories were killed, homes were demolished and palaces were burnt..., and it was still the case until the beginning of the twelfth century!!

Round witch


As for the ball, it was the most famous game in Islamic history and it was given the attention of both the public and the public, as it is in people's lives today. It was played on horses, and its racket with which it was struck was called the "scepter", which is also the "jokan". Abu Mansour al-Azhari (d. 370 AH / 981 AD) - in the dictionary of 'Tahdheeb al-Lughah' - says, defining the meaning of this instrument: "The scepter: a stick whose tip is twisted, with which the ball [of] is hit on the animals, and as for the stick whose end is skewed by character in its tree, it is a pilgrim. ., and the sceptre.. [a word] is Arabised" from the Persian language.

As for the scholar Ibn Al-Amshati (d. 902 AH / 1497 AD), he provided us - in his explanation of the book “Al-Mujaz fi Al-Tibb” by Ibn Al-Nafis (d. 687 AH / 1288 AD), and we quoted his words from the book “Playing the Arabs” by the scholar Ahmed Taymour Pasha (d. 1348 AH / 1930 AD) - which is useful for us. that the word "pace" has come to be used for the game of ball itself and no longer means just the paddle; Explaining this game, he said: “Our sceptre is playing with the ball that the knights play, which is a large ball that is thrown on the ground, and the rider comes to it while riding and hits it with a rod in his head about a piece of wood about an inch. His hand prevailed over him."

As for the ball itself, the common people called it “the ball,” according to Al-Mashati; And people in the Levant - until now - still call the ball "ball"! It is clear from Ibn Al-Mashati’s explanation that this game is the origin of what is known today as “the Polo game”. It seems that this game was medically recommended in ancient times; Ibn Abi Usayba (d. 668 AH / 1269 AD) - in 'Uyun al-Anbaa fi Akhbar al-Daba'a' - mentioned that Galen (d. 216 AD) wrote a book he called: 'The Book of Sports with the Small Ball'; Then he said, "This book is one small article in which [Galenus] praises sports with the ball and playing with the wand, and presents it to all kinds of sports"!

As for Ibn al-Nafis, Timur Pasha attributed to him - 'in playing the Arabs' - his saying in his book 'Al-Mujaz fi al-Tibb': "Playing with the scepter is a sport for the soul and body, because it requires joy in victory and anger in defeat."

It appears from the words of historians that the Arabs took this game from the Persians, as more than one of them mentioned that it was played at the hands of the Persian king, Ardashir ibn Babak (d. 242 AD).

Ball was the favorite game of caliphs, kings and princes;

It was stated in “Kunuz al-Zahab” of the tribe of Ibn al-Ajmi (d. 884 AH / 1479 AD) that the first caliph to play ball was Harun al-Rashid (d. 193 AH / 809 AD), and his son Muhammad al-Amin (d. 198 AH / 814 AD) inherited from him the love of it, so that interest in it was at the head of His priorities in governance, according to Imam Al-Suyuti (d. 911 AH / 1506 AD), who says - in the 'History of the Caliphs' - that Al-Amin "was the first to be pledged to the caliphate, the second day he ordered the construction of a square next to Al-Mansur Palace to play with the ball."


A gateway to the ascent


and one of the princes who fell in love with it, the founder of the Tulunid state in Egypt, Prince Ahmed bin Tulun (d. 270 AH / 883 AD), and the passion for it remained in Egypt after him for centuries. When the historian Ibn Taghri Bardi (d. 874 AH / 1470 AD) - in 'The Shining Stars' - reported the news of this prince, he said: "Ibn Tulun made a large palace in which he plays with the ball, and he called the whole palace 'the field'."

As for the most famous of the princes and leaders who played it after the first eras; Perhaps Sultan Nur al-Din Mahmud Zangi, the martyr (d. 569 AH / 1173 AD), who was passionate about her and keen on her; His state historian Abu Shama al-Maqdisi (d. 665 AH / 1266 AD) said - in the 'Book of History of the two gardens' - that Nur al-Din was not seen "on the back of the horse better than him, as if he was created on him not moving or shaking, and he was one of the best people who played with the ball and the most capable of it, He did not see the Jukanh (= his racket) rising on his head, and he might have hit the ball and run the horse and take it with his hand from the air, and throw it to the end of the field, and his hand was not visible and the jokan was in it, but rather it was in the sleeve of his cupboard (= his forehead) underestimating the game!!

The great interest of this great sultan with the ball;

It did not distract him from his worship or jihad, nor from managing his authority and the interests of his flock, but rather he saw it as part of his jihad activity and training horses to hit and run.

Al-Dhahabi mentioned - in 'History of Islam' - that "he used to fast a lot, had prayers during the night and day, and played a lot with the ball, so some righteous people wrote to him denouncing him and saying: Horses tire without benefit! So he wrote to him in his handwriting: By God, I do not mean playing, but we In a gap [in front of the Crusader Franks], the sound might have occurred [by an enemy attack], so the horses would have become addicted to the speed of turning with hit and run!!

It is surprising to know that Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi (d. 589 AH / 1193 AD) was close to Nur al-Din - at the beginning of his entry into power - one of the most important reasons for his proficiency is also in playing the ball;

Imam Ibn Katheer tells us that Nur al-Din brought Salah al-Din close to him “and made him one of his characteristics that he did not separate from him when traveling or when he was traveling, because he was of good form and good playing with the ball”!

After all this, it may not be surprising if it is known that the death of Nur al-Din was after a spherical quarrel;

Ibn Katheer mentioned that one day he "played with ball... and he got angry with some of the princes - and that was not his nature - so he rushed to the castle while he was also very angry, and he got upset and entered into a place of bad mood and preoccupied with himself and his pain, and all his senses and nature denied him." And people retired until he died after a short period!!

Some kings had set specific days to play ball with fixed dates, such as the Mamluk Sultan Al-Nasir Muhammad bin Qalawun (d. 741 AH/1340 AD), who excelled in them;

Ibn Taghri Bardi informs us that he "established the field under the castle of the mountain, ran water for it, planted palm trees and trees in it, and played ball in it every Tuesday with the princes and the khakiqis (= the entourage of the sultan) and the children of kings. Someone in his time will approach him in it!!

A princely comedy,


although Noureddine had taken playing ball as an exercise in equestrianism and in preparation for fighting the enemies of the Crusaders;

Other princes saw in it pure entertainment in free time of preoccupations. The Mamluk prince Alaa al-Din al-Salihi (d. 690 AH / 1291 AD) was "one of the great princes..., [however] he was playing with the children of Safed the ball in the field on his feet, or. They are playing while they are in front of him.”

As Al-Safadi says in 'Al-Wafi with Deaths'.

Indeed, some of them used it as a means to distract the soul from thinking about the length of the day of fasting in Ramadan;

Historian Ibn Khallikan (d. 681 AH / 1282 AD) says in 'The Deaths of Notable Persons': "I saw al-Kamil and al-Ashraf (the Ayyubids who died in 635 AH / 1237 AD) and they were riding together and playing ball in the great green field every day, and [time] was the month of Ramadan, so they meant by that. The expression (= the decree) of the day for fasting'!

Among the princes’ interest in games in general is what the historian Ibn Taghri Bardi narrates on the authority of the Mamluk Sultan Al-Muzaffar Haji (d. 748 AH / 1347 AD) that during his rule he used to mix with “lords of games from conflict (= wrestling) and culture (= maneuvering with swords) .., and running messengers (= sport). the enemy), the ramming of rams, the percussion of roosters..., and we call for launching the game in Cairo and Egypt."

Playing the ball was dangerous and often took the lives of the players;

Among the stories of this is what was narrated by Ibn Wasil al-Hamawi (d. 697 AH / 1301 AD) in 'Mufarrej al-Kurub', he narrated the news of the death of Najm al-Din Ayyub (d. 568 AH / 1172 AD), the father of Sultan Salah al-Din, then said: "[Najm al-Din] was fond of playing ball. And the intensity of running, so everyone who saw him in this capacity judged (= estimate) that he did not die except from falling off the horse’s back.” And so was the matter!

In the history books there are many news of the deaths of princes and leaders falling off horses while playing the ball, such as the happy king Baraka (d. 678 AH / 1279 AD), the son of King Al-Zahir Baybars (d. 676 AH / 1277 AD), who “the cause of his death was that he played with the ball in the ball field, so he vaulted (= he threw him on his side) with his horse, and he got a severe fever because of that, and he stayed like that for a few days and died”;

According to the novel "The Brief History of Humans" by the Ayyubid king Abi Al-Fida (d. 732 AH / 1332 AD).

Death may occur due to the Persians falling over the player himself in the field, as happened to Libugha al-Salihi (d. 747 AH / 1346 AD), one of the princes of al-Kamil Sha’ban Ibn al-Nasir Qalawun (d. 747 AH / 1346 AD);

Ibn Shaheen al-Malti (d. 920 AH / 1515 AD) tells us - in 'Nil al-Amal' - that one day, "The Sultan [Kamel] played the ball in the field for his princes, and Yalbugha al-Salihi collided with another and they both fell off their horses, and a mare fell on his chest and his nerves were cut off. He died on time!

لطف وعنف
ورغم عُسر لعبة الكرة وقوتها وخطورتها فإنّ التاريخ الإسلاميّ لم يخلُ من كُرةٍ نسائيّة؛ وفقا لما يفيدنا به المؤرخ ابنُ تَغْري بَرْدي الذي روى من أخبار سلطان مصر المملوكي الصالح إسماعيل ابن الناصر قلاوون (ت 746هـ/1345م) أنه كانت "تركب حظاياه [من النساء] الخيولَ العربية ويتسابقن، ويركبن تارة بالكامليّات الحرير ويلعبن بالكرة، وكانت لهنّ في المواسم والأعياد وأوقات النُّزهة أمورٌ من هذا النّموذج"!!

ويحدثنا ابن خلدون (ت 808هـ/1406م) عن قِدَم الألعاب النسائية الحركية التي تعود ممارستها -في الأقل على مستوى المحاكاة- إلى العهود الأولى لدولة العباسيين؛ فيقول -في ‘المقدمة‘- إنه في أيامهم "اتُّخِذتْ آلاتٌ أخرى للرقص تسمّى بـ‘الكُرَّج‘، وهي تماثيل خيل مُسْرَجة من الخشب معلَّقة بأطراف أقبية (= عباءات) يلبسها النسوان، ويحاكين بها امتطاء الخيل فيكرُّون ويفرّون ويتثاقفون، وأمثال ذلك من اللعب المعدّ للولائم والأعراس وأيام الأعياد ومجالس الفراغ واللهو. وكثر ذلك ببغداد وأمصار العراق وانتشر منها إلى غيرها".

أما الأطفال فقد اشتهر لعبهم بالكرة، وأخبار ذلك في كتب التاريخ والتراجم كثيرة؛ ومن أطرف قصص ذلك ما ذكره الذهبي -في ‘تاريخ الإسلام‘- قائلا: "وقال القاضي عبد الصمد في «تاريخه»: سمعت محمد بن عوف (ت 272هـ/885م) يقول: كنت ألعب في الكنيسة بالكرة وأنا حَدَثٌ (= مراهق)، فدخلت الكرةُ إلى المسجد فوقعت بالقرب من المعافى بن عمران -يعني الحمصي (ت بعد 200هـ/815م)- فدخلتُ لآخذها، فقال: ابنُ مَنْ أنتَ؟ قلتُ: ابن عوف! قال: أمَا إنّ أباك كان من إخواننا وكان ممن يكتب معنا العلم، والذي يُشْبِهُك (= يليق بك) أن تتبع ما كان عليه والدُكَ! فصرتُ إلى أمي فأخبرتُها، فقالت: صدق يا بني! فألبستني ثوبا وإزارا، ثم جئت إليه ومعي مِحْبَرة ووَرَق"!!

وإذا كانت الكرة لعبةً محتاجةً إلى القوة والبأس ومنطويةً على شيء من الخطورة؛ فإنّ بعض الألعاب كان العُنف غالبًا عليها وجزءًا من متعة سادية غلبت على منظميها، مثل لعبة كان يُقال لها "اللبخة" نسبة ربما إلى خشب "اللبخ"، وهي اللعبة الشعبية التي تسمى اليوم في مصر "التحطيب".

وقد ذكرها ابن تغري بردي ضمن أحداث سنة 746هـ/1345م محددا لنا تاريخ نشأة اللعب بها؛ فقال إن السلطان الكامل شعبان (ت 747هـ/1346م) توجّه إلى منطقة "سرياقوس وأحضر الأوباش فلعبوا قدّامه باللّبخة، وهي عِصِيٌّ كِبارٌ حدَثَ اللعب بها في هذه الأيام، ولمّا لعبوا بها بين يديه قَتل رجلٌ رفيقَه، فخلع (= كرّم) السلطان على بعضهم وأنعم على كبيرهم بخُبز (= راتب) في الحلقة (= العساكر)، واستمرّ السلطان يلعب بالكرة في كلّ يوم وأعرض عن تدبير الأمور، فتمرّدت المماليك وأخذوا حُرُمَ الناسِ وقطعوا الطريق"!!

وقريبا من تلك الألعاب العنيفة ما يُعرف اليوم برياضات القوى وحمل الأثقال، وقد كان لها حضور في تراثنا حتى في أوساط الأمراء والمسؤولين الكبار، مثل الأمير علم الدين سنجر الحلبي (ت 692هـ/1293م) الذي كان يمارس هذه الألعاب يوميا بعد انتهاء عمله الحكومي!! إذ يخبرنا الإمام بدر الدين العيني (ت 855هـ/1451م) -في ‘عقد الجمان‘- أن هذا الأمير "كان من أكابر الأمراء.. وتسلْطنَ بالشام..، وقيل: إنه كان.. إذا نزل من الخدمة (= العمل الرسمي) إلى بيته لا ينزل عن فرسه حتى يقدَّم له قنطارته محشوَّة برصاص فيلعب بها وهو راكب، ثم يأتي إلى فرْدة تِبْنٍ فيطعنها ويشيلها من الأرض، ثم ينزل ويأخذ عمودا حديدا زنته قنطار (= 40 كلغ تقريبا) فيلف به يمينا ويسارا"!!

رياضات ذهنية
لم تقتصر الألعاب في الحضارة الإسلامية على أنواعها المعتمد على القوة البدنية، بل إنها عرفت كذلك صنوفا من الرياضات الذهنية تأتي في مقدمتها لعبة الشطرنج التي أخذها المسلمون عن غيرهم؛ فقد تحدث الجاحظ -في ‘الرسائل‘- عن ثقافات الهند فقال إن "لهم الشطرنج، وهي أشرف لعبة وأكثرها تدبيرا وفطنة"!! ويرى المؤرخ ابن خلكان أن الشطرنج اختراع هندي، فيقول إن اسم "الذي وضعه: صصه بن داهر الهندي، واسم الملك الذي وضعه له: شِهْرام"!

وقد اهتم المسلمون -منذ القرن الأول- بلعبة الشطرنج حتى شمل ذلك علماءهم وصلحاءهم ناهيك بخلفائهم وعامتهم؛ ويكفي هنا أن نعلم أن أول نواة للنوادي الثقافية في الحضارة الإسلامية كانت في دار لاصقة بالحرم المكي نهاية القرن الأول، وكان ضمن أدوات الترفيه فيها ألعاب بينها الشطرنج!

وعن ذلك يحدثنا المؤرخ القرشي الزبير بن بكار (ت 256هـ/870م) -في كتابه ‘جمهرة نسب قريش وأخبارها‘- فيقول إن عبد الحكم بن عمرو بن عبد الله بن صفوان الجمحي "اتّخذ بيتا فيه شترنجات (= شطرنجات) ونَرْدات (= لعبة الطاولة) وقِرْقات (= جمع قِرْق: لعبة طاولة مذكورة آنفا)، ودفاتر فيها من كل علم، وجعل في الجدار أوتادا فمن جاءه علّق ثيابه على وتد منها، ثم جرّ دفتراً فقرأه، أو بعض ما يُلعب به فيلعب مع بعضهم"!!

بل إن بعض أئمة التابعين بلغوا من مهارتهم في الشطرنج أن أحدهم "كان يلعب بها استدبارا"، بمعنى أنه يُوَلِّي ظهرَه لطاولتها ومنافسه في اللعب بها ثم يعطي أوامره بنقل قطعه على رقعتها دون أن ينظر إليها!! ويفسر لنا ذلك الإمامُ المحدِّث البيهقي (ت 458هـ/1067م) فيروي -في ‘معرفة السنن والآثار‘- بسنده قائلا: "سمعت الشافعي يقول: لعب سعيد بن جُبير (ت 95هـ/714م) بالشطرنج من وراء ظهره فيقول: «بأيش دفع كذا؟» قال: بكذا، قال: «ادفع بكذا»..!! أخبرنا الشافعي قال: كان محمد بن سيرين (ت 110هـ/729م) وهشام بن عروة (ت 146هـ/763م) يلعبان بالشطرنج استدبارا..، وروينا عن الشَّعْبي (ت 106هـ/725م) أنه كان يلعب به"!!

وبعد العصر الأول؛ تعمق المسلمون في ممارسة لعبة الشطرنج حتى برع فيها بعضهم إلى درجة أنه صار يُضرب به المثل فيها، بل ونُسب إليه اختراعها من الأصل! فالمؤرخ ابن خلكان يقول -في ترجمته للأديب أبي بكر الصولي (ت 330هـ/942م)- إنه "كان أوحدَ [أهل] وقته في لعب الشطرنج، لم يكن في عصره مثله في معرفته! والناس إلى الآن يضربون به المثل في ذلك فيقولون لمن يبالغون في حسن لعبه [بها]: فلان يلعب الشطرنج مثل الصولي!! ورأيتُ خلقا كثيرا يعتقدون أن الصولي المذكور هو الذي وضع الشطرنج، وهو غلط"!!

وممن مَهر في لعبتها أيضا الطبيب الأندلسي أبو بكر بن أبي الحسن الزهري الإشبيلي (ت نحو 620هـ/1223م)؛ فقد وصفه ابن أبي أصَيْبِعة -في ‘عيون الأنباء‘- بأنه "كان في مبدأ أمره محبا للشطرنج كثير اللعب به، وجاد لعبُه في الشطرنج جدا حتى صار يوصف به..، فكانوا يقولون: أبو بكر الزهري الشطرنجي"! ومن الطريف أن هذا اللقب -المحبب إلى كثير من محترفي هذه اللعبة العقلية- كان يُغضب الزهري هذا، فترك الشطرنج واستعاض عنها بتعلم الطب قائلا لنفسه: "لا بد أن أشتغل عن هذا بشيء غيره من العلم لأُنْعَتَ به ويزول عني وصف الشطرنج"!!

فِرَق منزلية
ومن أهل العلم من كان يوفر الشطرنج لمرتادي بيته من طلاب العلم وغيرهم فيلعبونها في حضرته خلال أوقات الفراغ؛ فقد ذكر ابن الأثير -في ‘الكامل‘- أن فخر الدين مبارك شاه بن الحسن المَرْوَرُّوذي (ت 602هـ/1205م) "كان حسن الشعر بالفارسية والعربية..، وكان له دارُ ضيافةٍ فيها كتب وشطرنج، فالعلماء يطالعون الكتب، والجهال يلعبون بالشطرنج"!

ومثله في ذلك العلامة بهاء الدين ابن النحاس الحلبي (ت 698هـ/1300م)، الذي ترجم له ابن فضل الله العمري (ت 749هـ/1348م) -في ‘مسالك الأبصار‘- فوصفه بأنه "شيخ العربية بالديار المصرية..، لم يزل عنده في بيته من الطلبة ومن أصحابه مَنْ يأكل عنده..، ويدخل الداخل عليه فيجد في بيته: هنا أناس يلعبون بالشطرنج، وهنا أناس يطالعون، وكلُّ واحد في شأنه لا يُنْكِرُ أحدٌ على أحد شيئا، ولا يزال رضيًّا حتى يكون وقت الاشتغال (= التدريس) فيتنكَّر"!!

بل إن بعضهم كانوا يلعبونها ضمن فرق متنافسة تتداول استضافتها بالدَّوْر في منازل أعضائها؛ ومن هؤلاء العلامة محمد بن محمد بن محمد الكناني السمنودي الشافعي (ت 879هـ/1474م) الذي يفيدنا الإمام السخاوي (ت 902هـ/1497م) -في ‘الضوء اللامع‘- بأنه كان من أهل "المشي على قانون كبار المباشِرين (= مسؤولي الدولة) والإدمان للعب الشطرنج، بحيث كان وقتا مع جماعة يقسمون أيامهم فيه؛ فعند فلان يوم كذا واليوم الذي يليه عند آخر وهكذا"!!

ويبدو أن صاحبنا السمنودي هذا لم يكن -رغم مكانته العلمية والوظيفية- ممن يتّسمون بالروح الرياضي فيلتزمون بقواعد اللعب النظيف المتقدم ذكرها عند الجاحظ؛ ولذلك كانت "تصدر منه حين لعبه غالبا كلماتٌ يَخرج فيها عن الحد، ولا يَعرف حينئذ كبيرا ولا صغيرا، وكلما زاد فيها زاد جلساؤه من مقتضياتها"!!

ولم تكن منافسات الشطرنج بعيدة عن ظاهرة المشجعين وإن ظل مشجعوها من علية القوم باعتبارها لعبة نخبوية، وفي مقدمة هؤلاء يأتي الخلفاء والأمراء؛ إذ روى ابن خلّكان في ترجمته للصولي -المتقدم ذكْرُه- أنه دخل على الخليفة العباسي المُكْتفي (ت 295هـ/908م) "وقد كان ذُكِر له تخرُّجه في اللعب بالشطرنج، وكان الماوردي اللاعب (بالشطرنج) متقدِّما عنده (= الخليفة المكتفي) متمكنا من قلبه معجبا به للعِبه؛ فلما لعبا جميعا بحضرة المكتفي حمَل المكتفيَّ حُسْنُ رأيه في الماوردي.. على نصرته وتشجيعه وتنبيهه، حتى أدهش ذلك الصوليَّ في أول وهلة، فلما اتصل اللعب بينهما وجمع له الصولي متانته.. غلبَه غلْباً لا يكاد [معه] يردّ عليه شيئا، وتبيّن حسنُ لعب الصولي للمكتفي، فعَدَل عن هواه ونصرة الماوردي"!!

تفنُّن ورهان
وكما كان الرهانُ في سباق الخيل والإبل والنضال بالسهام شائعًا بين المسلمين كما أسلفنا؛ فقد حضر الرهان أيضا في مسابقات ألعاب أخرى كالشطرنج رغم منع العلماء له شرعا؛ فهذا أبو الحسن الشابُشْتي (ت 388هـ/999م) يروي في كتابه ‘الديارات‘: "قال أبو العيناء (ت 283هـ/896م): دخلتُ على أبي أحمد عُبيد الله بن عبد الله بن طاهر (ت 300هـ/913م)، وكان يوما صائفاً وقوم بين يديه يلعبون بالشطرنج؛ فقال: يا أبا عبد الله..، في أي الحزبين تحب أن تكون؟ قلت: في حزب الأمير.. فإنه أعلى وأبهى، فغُلبنا! فقال أبو أحمد: يا أبا عبد الله، قد غُلبنا! وقد أصابك بقسطك عشرون رطلًا (= 10 كم تقريبا) ثلجاً"!!

وقد كانت للشطرنج أشكال وأحجام مختلفة؛ فالمؤرخ المسعوديّ (ت 346هـ/957م) يذكر -في ‘مروج الذهب‘- أن "الشطرنج [عند الهنود] ذو صور وأشكال على صور الحيوان من الناطقين وغيرهم، كل قطعة من الشطرنج كالشبر في عرض ذلك بل أكثر"!

ولعل هذا الشطرنج الهندي الضخم كان مُلْهِمًا للسلطان الأوزبكي الشهير تيمور لَنْكْ (ت 807هـ/1405م) في اتخاذه شطرنجا عملاقا تميز به؛ إذ يروي ابن تَغْري بَرْدي -في ‘المنهل الصافي‘- أنه "كان يلازم اللعب بالشطرنج، ثم علت همته عن الملاعب (= اللعب) بالشطرنج الصغير المتداول بين الناس، [فـ]ـصار يلعب بالشطرنج الكبير، ورقعته عشرة في إحدى عشرة وتزيد قطعه على الصغير بأشياء"!!

كما تفنن الناس قديما في أنواع من الألعاب -سوى ما فصلنا الحديث فيه- ما زالت حاضرة حتى اليوم، فكان منهم "حُواةٌ" محترفون في ملاعبة الحيات لتسلية العامة مقابل دراهم يقدمونها لهم؛ فسبط ابن الجوزي يروي -في ‘مرآة الزمان‘- أن الحافظ أبو محمد بن أبي حاتم الرازي (ت 327هـ/941م) قال: قدمتُ مع أبي إلى الشام، فدخلنا مدينة فرأينا [فيها] رجلا قائما بيده حية يلعب بها ويقول: من يعطيني درهما حتى أبلعها؟ فالتفتَ إليَّ أبي وقال: احفظْ دراهمَك يا بُنَيّ، فمِن أجلها تُبْلَعُ الحيّاتُ"! وحين ذكر المقريزي (ت 845هـ/1441م) -في المواعظ والاعتبار‘- ميدان "رحبة باب اللوق" بالقاهرة قال إن "بها تجتمع.. أربابُ الملاعب والحرف كالمشعبذين والمخايلين والحُواة"!!

Among their common games are the hunting of pigeons and types of birds. Some of the caliphs and the eminent people were known for his fondness for this, such as the Umayyad Caliph Al-Waleed bin Abd al-Malik (d. 96 AH / 715 AD), who was “tempted by the love of pigeons playing with them”;

According to the tribe of Ibn al-Jawzi.

Likewise, the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mustaqfi Billah (d. 334 AH / 946 AD), who Abu al-Hasan al-Hamadani (d. 521 AH / 1127 AD) tells us - in the 'Supplementary History of al-Tabari' - that "before the caliphate he used to play with birds and throw nuts and go out to the orchards to watch and play"!!