Glossary of the hadith
– lā sabaqa: The word sabq (with the second consonant vocalised) means the stake or prize money put up for a contest; this is what the text negates and prohibits. With the bā’ quiescent, sabq is simply the verbal noun, “to outstrip, to win.”
– khuf: with a ḍammah on the khā’ and then a doubled fā’. Literally “hoof,” here it denotes camels, because they are characterised by soft pads (akhfāf).
– naṣl: with a fatḥah on the nūn and a still ṣād, ending with a lām. It refers to an arrow.
– ḥāfir: here it designates horses, for they belong to the animals that have hooves. All of these are instances of substituting the possessed noun for the possessor.

Note
Ibn Baṭṭāl states in Gharīb al-Muhadhdhab: khuf applies to camels; ḥāfir to the horse, mule and donkey; ẓulf to the rest of grazing beasts; mikhlab to birds; and ẓufr to human beings.

Points derived from the three hadiths
1 – All competitive games, wagers and risk-taking transactions are forbidden, especially when they involve prize money, because they form part of the gambling (maysir) about which Allah says: “O you who believe, indeed wine, gambling, idolatrous altars and divining arrows are abominations from Satan’s handiwork; so shun them that you may prosper” (al-Mā’idah 5:90).
2 – Maysir is gambling, and it encompasses every contest for stakes. Such gambling breeds enmity and hatred, and diverts from the remembrance of Allah by plunging its participants into heedlessness and distraction, their hearts preoccupied with gain and loss. It promises large profits without toil, effort or labour, yet can inflict severe loss and bankruptcy. Because of this sudden reversal—one person may rise to great wealth while another is reduced to abject poverty—Allah has declared it unlawful on account of its grave harms.