stand among a group of teachers and pupils and say:
“O good people, I ask Allah Most High, and I ask you to request of so-and-so, that he accept me as his brother, companion, servant, pupil, or the like”; then one of those present rises, takes a pledge from him, imposes whatever conditions he wishes, and ties a cloth or something similar around his waist—is this practice permissible, given the defensive loyalty and partisanship toward a teacher that result from it? Each teacher thereby acquires brothers, companions, followers, and pupils who stand by him whenever he acts, whether rightly or wrongly, treating his enemies as their enemies and his allies as their allies.
If they gather to compete in archery for a stake, is that lawful? Does it compromise a teacher’s uprightness if his pupils do things that are unlawful in the religion and he allows them to continue? If the teacher ties the cloth around a pupil’s waist and this brings a gift and a token of appreciation—all of which customarily goes to the teacher—is it lawful for him to accept it? May the teacher accept a fee, a donation, or a gift? The teacher does, after all, incur expenses for equipment and other things. Give us a ruling—may you be rewarded—and guide us. May Allah be pleased with you all.
Shaykh al-Islām Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah—may Allah be pleased with him—replied:
Praise be to Allah, Lord of all worlds. Archery in the cause of Allah and thrusting with a spear in the cause of