33. Government
٣٣۔ كتاب الإمارة
I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say-and he was delivering a sermon from the pulpit: Prepare to meet them with as much strength as you can afford. Beware, strength consists in archery. Beware, strength consists in archery. Beware, strength consists in archery.
سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَهُوَ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ يَقُولُ وَأَعِدُّوا لَهُمْ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ مِنْ قُوَّةٍ أَلاَ إِنَّ الْقُوَّةَ الرَّمْىُ أَلاَ إِنَّ الْقُوَّةَ الرَّمْىُ أَلاَ إِنَّ الْقُوَّةَ الرَّمْىُ
I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: Lands shall be thrown open to you and Allah will suffice you (against your enemies), but none of you should give up playing with his arrows.
سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ سَتُفْتَحُ عَلَيْكُمْ أَرَضُونَ وَيَكْفِيكُمُ اللَّهُ فَلاَ يَعْجِزُ أَحَدُكُمْ أَنْ يَلْهُوَ بِأَسْهُمِهِ
This tradition has also been narrated on the same authority through another chain of transmitters.
عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ بِمِثْلِهِ
You frequent between these two targets and you are an old man, so you will be finding it very hard. 'Uqba said: But for a thing I heard from the Prophet ﷺ, I would not strain myself. Harith (one of the narrators in the chain of transmitters) said: I asked Ibn Shamasa: What was that? He said that he (the Holy Prophet) said: Who learnt archery and then gave it up is not from us. or he has been guilty of disobedience (to Allah's Apostle).
عُقْبَةُ لَوْلاَ كَلاَمٌ سَمِعْتُهُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَمْ أُعَانِهِ قَالَ الْحَارِثُ فَقُلْتُ لاِبْنِ شُمَاسَةَ وَمَا ذَاكَ قَالَ إِنَّهُ قَالَ مَنْ عَلِمَ الرَّمْىَ ثُمَّ تَرَكَهُ فَلَيْسَ مِنَّا أَوْ قَدْ عَصَى