al-Furusiyya al-Muhammadiyya
- Author died
- 751 AH
- Editions
- T Mashhur · T Ataat al-Ilm
al-Furusiyya al-Muhammadiyya (Arabic: الفروسية المحمدية, "Muhammadan Horsemanship"), also known as al-Furusiyya or al-Furusiyya al-Shar'iyya, is a treatise on Islamic martial arts, horsemanship, archery, and the legal rulings governing combat sports and racing contests by the Hanbali jurist and theologian Ibn al-Qayyim (691–751 AH / 1292–1350 CE) .
Subject and Scope
The book addresses the theory, practice, and legal jurisprudence of traditional martial exercises and physical training associated with warfare and jihad in Islamic tradition . Ibn al-Qayyim identifies four foundational branches of martial horsemanship:
- Horseback riding and tactical maneuvering (rukub al-khayl wa-l-karr wa-l-farr)
- Archery (al-ramy bi-l-qaws)
- Spear combat and jousting (al-mutaa'ana bi-l-rimah)
- Swordsmanship (al-mudawara bi-l-suyuf)
He asserts that physical prowess in these four arts was perfected by the early companions of the Prophet Muhammad, who combined technical mastery with inner spiritual conviction (furusiyyat al-iman wa-l-yaqin) . In addition to equestrian warfare and archery, the work surveys other physical disciplines, including foot races, camel races, wrestling, spearplay, swimming, and boat contests .
Structure and Content
The treatise explores the principles, mechanics, and legal questions surrounding competitive contests and weapons training:
- Equestrianism versus Archery: Ibn al-Qayyim contrasts the respective merits of riding and archery, citing scriptural evidence for both and concluding that true martial competence requires both disciplines, as archery is most decisive at long range while cavalry combat prevails at close quarters .
- Archery Technicalities: The work details the technical fundamentals of shooting, such as gripping (al-qabd), locking (al-'aqd), drawing (al-madd), releasing (al-itlaq), and sighting (al-nazar), alongside the medical treatment of shooting injuries (tibb al-ramy) and the etiquette of archery competitions . It also records the consensus (ijma') on the permissibility of using Persian composite bows alongside traditional Arab bows .
- Rulings on Wagers and Stakes: A central legal focus of the treatise is the validity of financial stakes (al-rihan and al-sabq) in horse and archery contests . Ibn al-Qayyim argues against the legal requirement of introducing a third-party non-betting entrant (al-muhallil) to legitimize betting, engaging in a critical evaluation of the hadiths adduced by opposing jurists .
Composition and Textual History
Ibn al-Qayyim refers to this subject in his work I'lam al-Muwaqqi'in as "our large book on lawful horsemanship" (kitabuna al-kabir fi al-furusiyya al-shar'iyya), while the opening text of the extant book describes it as a summary (mukhtasar) . This led some modern scholars, such as Bakr Abu Zayd, to posit the existence of two distinct works—a larger original and an abridgment—while others maintain that the published text is itself the comprehensive work, distinguished by its exhaustive legal analysis, hadith criticism, and evaluation of biographical narrators .
A manuscript copyist with military experience, Yusuf ibn Ahmad, composed an introductory critique of the text, arguing that the title Ahkam al-Furusiyya ("The Legal Rulings of Horsemanship") would have been more accurate than al-Furusiyya, since the author primarily focused on juridical rulings rather than pure tactical manuals known to Arab knights .
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