1147 — Abū Hurayrah (d. —) reports that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever brings a third horse into a race between two horses, without being sure that it will win, there is no harm in that; but if he is sure, then it is qimār (gambling).” Narrated by Aḥmad and Abū Dāwūd; its chain of transmission is weak (1).

Hadith grading:
The report is weak. The leading critics have spoken extensively about it. Ibn Maʿīn said, “It is false.” Al-Shāfiʿī deemed anyone who narrated it from Saʿīd on the authority of Abū Hurayrah to be in error. This is the very hadith that al-Mizzī, Ibn al-Qayyim, and others rejected. The reasons for its invalidity will, God willing, be clarified in the legal discussion that follows.

Vocabulary:
• qimār (gambling): with a kasrah on the qāf and a fatḥah on the mīm, followed by an alif, ending with a rāʾ. Qimār is maysir (games of chance) and includes every competition that involves risking money, except for what the Law has specifically exempted. Modern forms have developed new means and devices: people now gamble with cash and valuables in games of luck or skill, and lottery tickets are one variety of qimār.

Legal points derived from the hadith:
1 – Al-Daleel wa-Sharḥuh states that a race accompanied by prize money is valid only when five conditions are met:
First: the mounts must be specified, not the riders.
Second: the mounts must be of the same kind; it is not valid to race a pure-bred Arab horse against a cross-breed.
Third: the distance and finish line must be fixed in the customary manner.