And in fairness—and Allah is the One who grants success—

• They said: Moreover, the Prophet (1) ﷺ himself wrestled and laid a wager on the bout. The stake was put up by both contestants, with no muhallil between them, for it is impossible to insert a third party between two wrestlers.

We shall recount the story of his wrestling, peace and blessings be upon him:

Abu al-Shaykh al-Asbahani said: ‘Abd Allah ibn Muhammad (2) ibn Zakariyya narrated to us; Salamah ibn Shabib narrated to us; ‘Abd al-Razzaq informed us; from Ma‘mar, from Yazid ibn Abi Ziyad—I think—from ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Harith, who said:

“The Prophet ﷺ wrestled Abu Rukanah in the pre-Islamic period. Abu Rukanah was a powerful man. He said, ‘One sheep against one sheep.’ The Prophet ﷺ threw him. Abu Rukanah said, ‘Go another round with me,’ so the Prophet ﷺ threw him again. He said, ‘Go another round with me,’ so they went another round and the Prophet ﷺ threw him a third time. Abu Rukanah then said, ‘What shall I tell my family? One sheep was eaten by a wolf, another wandered off—what shall I say about the third?’ The Prophet ﷺ replied, ‘We would not combine against you by both defeating you and making you pay. Take back your sheep.’” (3)

Abu Dawud said in his book al-Marasil (4): “Musa ibn