380 — (He (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Indeed, strength lies in archery. Indeed, strength lies in archery. Indeed, strength lies in archery.” Narrated by Muslim.) p. 286

Authentic. It was narrated by Muslim (6/52), Abū Dāwūd (2514), al-Tirmidhī (2/182), al-Dārimī (2/204), Ibn Mājah (2813), and Ahmad (4/157), from Uqbah ibn Āmir, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say from the pulpit:

“‘Prepare against them whatever strength you can muster.’ Indeed, strength…”

381 — (He (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “You should practice archery, for it is among your best pastimes.” Narrated by al-Bazzār and al-Tabarānī with a good chain.) p. 286

Authentic. Al-Khatīb narrated it in al-Muwaddih (2/30), from Hātim ibn al-Layth, who said: Yahyā ibn Hammād related to me: Abū Awānah related to us, from Abd al-Malik ibn Umayr, from Musab ibn Sad, from his father, traced back to the Prophet with this wording. However, his version has “your games” in place of “your pastimes.”

I say: This chain is authentic. Its narrators are trustworthy and are narrators of al-Bukhārī and Muslim, apart from Hātim ibn al-Layth. Al-Khatīb said in his biographical entry in his History (8/245): “He was trustworthy, firmly reliable, meticulous, and a hadith master.” The attribution given in the book was taken by the author from al-Targhīb (2/170). The same attribution appears in Majma al-Zawā’id, where he said (6/268): “The narrators in both chains are narrators of the Sahih collections, apart from Hātim ibn al-Layth, who is trustworthy.” However, he stated that al-Tabarānī’s wording was “your games.”

382 — (The hadith stating that “the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cursed anyone who used a living creature as a target.” Narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.) p. 286

Authentic. It was narrated by Muslim (6/73), al-Nasā’ī (2/210), and Ahmad