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Sibak Al-khayl (horse Racing) in Islam

Horse is an important and valuable member of the mammalia. Among the earliest evidence of the importance of the horse to human culture are the unearthed wall paintings in the caves of Lascaux, in southern France, dating around 30,000 B.C. The horse first became useful in welfare sometimes before 1500 B.C. when Mesopotamian people began to use horses to pull their chariots. There is however a question rose by Canon Taylor in his Origin of the Aryans (p.161), whether the horse was at first used for drawing chariots or for riding. He, and William Ridgeway (Academy of 3rd January, 1891) says that, “At first the horse was very small and incapable of carrying man and that it was after generations of domestication under careful feeding and breeding that the horse became of sufficient size to carry man on his back with ease.” According to Max Muller, it appears from the Vedas that, in India, it was used both for chariot-driving and riding.

The thoroughbred racehorse, whose remote ancestor, Eohippus, was a small, hoofed quadruped about the size of a fox, is the most beautiful animal bred by man. By a careful process of selection through the race-course test over a period of two hundred and fifty years, a noble and courageous beast has been fashioned in the hands of skilled breeders, from an original blend of the imported, pure-bred Arabian, and so called Turkish or Barbary sires, and the English hybrid mares existing in Europe at the end of 17th century.

The earliest dates for horse-racing have not yet been confirmed. Such contests were however held in Babylonian, Syria and Egypt. Clay tablets excavated in Cappadocia in Asia Minor, written in 1400 B.C. reveal on the training of horses for racing. The four horse chariot races were introduced into Olympic Games of Greece in 23rd Olympiad, or about 664 B.C. It was 33rd Olympiad that the race for mounted horses was first introduced about 624 B.C., and the first race for saddled horses was held in the games of 564 B.C.

Horse-racing is derived from warfare, chariot racing, and the chase, and it is not without significance that, at the time of the Roman occupation of Britain, Queen Boadicea and her people, the tribe of the Iceni, lived on Newmarket Heath and that their gold and silver coins were stamped on the reverse side with the effigy of a horse. The earliest horse-race in England, of which a record still exists, took place at Netherby in Yorkshire in about A.D. 210 between Arabian steeds brought to Europe by the Roman Emperor Septimus Severus Alexander, who made special arrangements for the shelter and training of these delicate horses. In the reign of King Richard I, the horse race became a fashionable pastime for the barons and knights. It was not until the reign of King Henry VIII that the first race-course was officially established on the Roodee at Chester in 1540, and an annual prize first instituted, which took the form of a silver bell; and moreover this monarch did much to improve the royal studs and the breed of the horse in general throughout the country.

The Arabian is regarded as the oldest pure breed, but its exact origins remain unproven for lack of scientific evidence. Antique sculpture and ancient rock drawings depicting horses of Arabian appearance found in the Arabian peninsular, as well as wall inscriptions in Egypt, confirm that an Arabian type has existed in the Middle East for well over 3000 years. These Eastern or Oriental, horses are considered to be the taproot stock of all Southern hot-blooded equines, as opposed to the Northern cold-blooded.

As an old pure breed the Arabian is extremely prepotent, and for centuries has been used up-grade, with the result that there is hardly a breed of light horse that does not contain some Arab blood - the most outstanding breed to evolve from Arabian sources is the Thoroughbred. The foundation stock was an admixture of eastern mares and stallions, and Gallowavs and other British horses. Three phenomenal stallions -The Darley Arabian, The Godolphin Arabian and the Byerley Turk - dominated Thoroughbred ancestry, and every Thoroughbred traces in the male line to just these three.

Originally most Arabians were nomadic. With a climate of extremes, scarcity of food, and the hard work expected of horses, it was a cast of survival of the fittest. In the days when the tribes were constantly at war or raids were a regular occurrence, the Arab relied on the speed and endurance of his mount for his very survival. Mares were used for forays against enemies, as stallions could not be relied upon to remain quiet, and the Arabian mare thus became a most treasured possession of their owner.

When fighting the rider carried a lance (which in some Northern tribes could be as much as 6 meters long) and the mare had to be extremely agile, able to stop dead in her stride, spin on her hocks, and dart off again. The mares were kept tethered in the Bedouin camps and sometimes shared a tent with their master. Centuries of living in close proximity with humans have endowed the Arabian with an exceptional ability to form strong companionships with people. It is probable that there were no horses in Arabia prior to the Christian era, and that they are direct descendants of the wild Libyan horse of North Africa, which was domesticated in Egypt. Ridgeway states the kings of Egypt had these horses 1500 years B.C., and they probably came to Arabia through Palestine between the 1st and 6th centuries.

According to Encyclopaedia Americana (14:391), “Horses begin to appear in Arabia in the 1st century B.C., and by the time of (Prophet) Muhammad a distinct and unique type of Arabic horse had evolved.” The Prophet used horses to great effect in the holy wars. They proved faster and more maneuverable than camels. It was the Prophet who directed that horses should be bred by the faithful, so that they would be better prepared to gallop out and spread the Faith of Islam. The order from the Prophet, enshrined in the Koran meant that horse breeding began to spread among the Bedouin and the true Arabian breed began. Historian Ibn Khallikan (3:476) writes that “We know that in the 12000 Berber cavalry who disembarked in Spain under the command of Tariq bin Zihad, there were twelve Arabian horses. Hence the Arabian horses introduced into the West.” Thus, Arab became the home of England’s Derby.

The common Arabic word for horse is faras, whether stallion (fahl) or mare; as a collective al-khayl. The word khayl for horse occurs five times in the Koran. The title and the first verse of Sura 79 (Those that Draw, al-naziat) and Sura 100 (The Runners, al-adiyat) are probably further references to horses. The title of Sura 37 (Those who Dress the Ranks, al-saffat), Sura 51 (Those that Scatter, al-dhariyat) and Sura 77 (Those that are Sent, al-mursalat) may also refer to them as well.

According to the Koran: “By the adiyat that run panting, and those that strike fire dashing” (100:1-2). Most of the commentators suggest the meaning of adiyat as panting horses on the authority of Ibn Abbas.

“And (He created) horses and mules and asses for you to ride and as zinat” (16:8). The Arabic word zina or zinat means ornament, amusement, or entertainment. Hence, the horses, mules and asses, in which horses are prominent; are meant not only for riding, but breeding and racing.

The tradition has it that the first to ride a horse was Prophet Ismael. Others again claim that the Arab horses are descended from those of Solomon. The latter inherited 1000 horses from David. It is said that the tribe of Azd once came to Solomon and asked for a present, he gave them one of the steeds, to which they gave the name zad al-rakib; from it are descended all the Arab horses.

An ancient race that came to prominence with the rise of Islam. They have bred closely guarded pure strains of hot blooded desert horses for centuries – it is said an Arab can recite the pedigree of his favorite horses going back to 600 A.D. The best horses were never sold and never left Arabia. God is said to have created the horse out of the south wind, and some Arabian horse bear the Prophet’s thumb mark on their neck, where Mohammed was supposed to have touched them

Horse Racing (sibak al-khayl or ijra al-khayl) had been a major sport and a favorite pastime in pre-Islamic Arabia. It was a part of equitation (furusiyya), regarded as essential for military training and also as an object of entertainment for the people from all walks of life. During the Islamic period the breeding, maintenance and training of horses became one of the means of facilitating the prosecution of the holy war. The Prophet regarded horse-breeding as a meritorious calling, and assigned to it a share in the booty obtained on the battle field. This religious sanction fostered a competitive attitude amongst the breeders and encouraged the augmentation of the stock, which suffered considerable depletion in the course of the wars of that time. Cavalry was in fact to become an important factor in the military success of the Muslims.

Kunwar Muhammad Ashraf writes in Life and Conditions of the people of Hindustan (Karachi, 1978, p. 187) that, “Horse-racing was just as popular. It had the additional advantage of the blessings of the Prophet who had prohibited other amusements and gambling in no uncertain terms, but was indulgent towards betting on horse-racing. A regular literature soon sprang up on the study of the habits, the foods, and the nourishment, the care and the training of horses, which does credit to the scientific methods of the age. It is quite reasonable to infer from these facts that the number of pedigree horses was quite large in the studs of the Sultans and the nobles. Special Arab horses were imported for racing purposes from Yamen, Oman, and Fars. Each animal is reported to have cost from one hundred to four thousand tankas.”

It is therefore not surprising that a rich literature came into being which contained information on hippology, horse-breeding, the genealogies of horses and their various categories, on race-courses, horse-racing, farriery and equitation. No other animal evoked from the writers of the time so large a number of literary works, both in prose and in poetry. Ibn Nadim in his famous catalogue of Arabic books, compiled in 377/987, Kitab al-Fihrist (tr. by Bayard Dodge, London, 1970, pp. 80-213), mentions the following works on the horse and on matters relating to it: Kitab al-Khayl by Abu Ubaidah (d. 210/825), Kitab al-Khayl, Kitab khalq al-Faras and Kitab al-Sarj wal-lijam by Asma’i (d. 213/828), Kitab al-Khayl by Ahmed bin Hatim (d. 231/846), Kitab khalq al-Faras by Ibrahim al-Zujaj (d. 310/914), Kitab khayl al-Kabir and Kitab khayl al-Saghir and Kitab al-Sarj wal-lijam by Ibn Durayd (d. 321/925), Kitab al-khayl and Kitab Nasab al-khayl by Mohammad bin Ziyad al-Arabi (d. 231/846), Kitab khalq al-Faras by Abi Thabit, Kitab khalq al-Khayl by Hisham bin Ibrahim al-Kirmani, Kitab khalq al-Faras by Kassim al-Anbari, Kitab al-khayl al-Sawabik by Khawlani, Kitab khalq al-Faras by Washsha (d. 325/930), Kitab al-khayl by Hisham al-Kalbi (d. 207/822), Kitab al-khayl wal-Rihan by Madaini (d. 215/830), Kitab al-Hala’ib wal-Rihan by Ahmed al-Khazzaz (d. 258/871), Kitab al-khayl bi Khatt Ibn al-Kufi by Mohammad bin Habib, Kitab al-Fursan by Abu Khalifa (d. 305/909), Kitab Sifat al-khayl wal Ardiya wa Asmaiha bin Makka wa ma Walaha by Abu al-Ashath, Kitab Akhbar al-Faras wa-Ansabuha by Abul Hasan al-Nassaba, Kitab al-khayl by Qadi al-Ashna’i, Kitab al-khayl by Attabi, Kitab al-khayl by Utabi (d. 228/843), Kitab al-khayl al-Kabir by Ahmed bin Abi Tahir (d. 280/894) and Kitab Jamhara al-Ansab al-Faras by Ibn Khurdadhbih (d. 300/904). Masudi (d. 345/950) in his Muruj al-Dhahab (Paris, 1861, 4:24-5) refers a book, called al-Jala’ib wal Hala’ib by Issa bin Lahi’a, a work which, according to him, included a detailed description of almost every race (halba) of pre-Islamic and Islamic periods.

In the Hidayah (2:432), it is said that horses are of four kinds: 1) Birzaun or Burzun (a heavy draught horse brought from foreign countries). 2) Atiq (a first blood horse of Arabia). 3) Hain (a half-bred horse whose mother is an Arab and father a foreigner), and 4) A half-bred horse whose father is an Arab and whose mother is a foreigner).

Long maydans (hippodromes) were set apart for this purpose in Arabia. According to Hilayat al-Fursan fi Shi’ar al-Shujan (Leiden, 1872, p. 142) by Ibn Hudhayl, “Islam forbade gambling (maisar) but allowed the placing of wagers on archery (nasal), foot-racing (qadam) and horse-racing (hafir)” The Egyptian scholar Isa bin Lahiah (d. 762) is already credited with a book entitled al-Jala’ib wal Hala’ib in which he mentioned every race, where horses were run in pre-Islamic and Islamic times. The work of al-Asma’i, Kitab al-khayl (ed. Haffner, Vienna, 1875) and Kitab al-Sarj of Abu Ubaidah are very rich to provide the relative informations.

According to Fadl al-khayl (p.389) by ad-Dimyati (1217-1306), “Contrary to the hadith of the Prophet which permitted competitions with camel, horse and arrow (khuff, hafir, nasl), some people even contented that racing for stakes was permissible only for horses, as this was what the Arabs of old were accustomed to.” We may also quote what ad-Dimyati has to say in the 5th chapter of his Fadl al-khayl that, “Ibn Banin (1181-1263) has mentioned in his book that the Messenger of God raced horses with garments that had come to him from Yamen as stakes. He gave the winner (sabiq) three, the second horse (musalli) two, the third horse one, the fourth horse one dinar, the fifth horse one dhiram, and the sixth horse a rod (qasabah). He said: “May God bless you and all of you, the winner (sabiq) and the loser (fiskil)”.

Abul Hasan Ahmad bin Yahya bin Jabir al-Baladhuri, Ibn Sad, al-Waqidi, Abd al Muhaymin bin Abbas bin Sahl bin Sad, his father (Abbas), his grandfather (Sahl), who said: “(Once) when the Messenger of God raced horses, I was riding on his az-Zarib. He gave me a Yamenite cloak.”

He (al-Baladhuri) said: I have been told by Muhammad bin Sad, al-Waqidi, Sulayman bin al-Harith, az-Zubayr bin al-Mundhir bin Abi Usayd, who said: “Abu Usayd as-Saidi raced on the Prophet’s horse Lizaz, and he gave him a Yemenite garment.”

Al- Khuttali reports in his book a tradition of Ibn Lahiah, Bakr bin Amr, Ibrahim bin Muslim, Abu Alqamah, the client of the Banu Hashim (stating) that the Messenger of God had ordered the horses to be raced, and he put up as prizes for them (sabbaqaha) three bunches of dates from three palm trees. He gave one bunch to the winner, one to the second horse, and one to the third horse. They were fresh dates.” (vide Fadl al-Khayl by ad-Dimyati)

According to Dar-Qutni (2:552), “Sanjah was another horse the Prophet used to ride on. Once it was made to have a race. It won and the Prophet was much delig

About the Author

Mumtaz Ali Tajddin S. Ali is an popular Ismaili Scholar, He has written many books on history and culture of Islam and Ismailism, Sibak Al-Khayl is an article taken from Encyclopedia of Ismailism, must read about Horse Racing in Islam.

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