It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that a black man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah, I am a dark-skinned man, my body has a bad odour, my face is ugly and I have no wealth. If I fight these enemies until I am killed, what will my position be? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "You will be in Paradise." So he fought the enemy until he was martyred. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to him and said: "Allah has certainly made your face bright and white, turned your odour into fragrance and increased your wealth." And about this man (or about someone else) he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I saw his wives from the Hur al-'Ayn pulling (lovingly) at his woollen cloak and entering between him and his cloak." This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of Imam Muslim, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by some people who were practising archery. Encouraging them, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O children of Isma'il, shoot, for your father (Sayyiduna Isma'il (peace be upon him)) was also an excellent archer." This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of Imam Muslim, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it. It also has a supporting narration (shahid) that is sahih on the condition of Imam Muslim.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out while some people of the tribe of Aslam were competing in archery. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O children of Isma'il, shoot well, for your father was also a skilled archer. Shoot, and I am with the group of Ibn al-Adra'." Hearing this, the other group held back their hands and said: O Messenger of Allah, how can we compete when whoever you are with will prevail! Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Shoot, I am with all of you."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salamah bin al-Akwa' (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by some people who were competing in archery. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "How good this sport is." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said this two or three times, then he said: "Shoot, and I am with the group of Ibn al-Adra'." The other group held back their hands and said: No, by Allah, O Messenger of Allah, we will not shoot against them now that you are with them, for then they will surely overcome us. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Shoot, I am with all of you." The narrator said: They kept shooting for most of that day, then they dispersed on equal terms, and none of them overcame another. This hadith has a sahih (authentic) chain of narration, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.

It is narrated from Khalid bin Zayd; he said: I used to practise archery and compete with Sayyiduna Uqbah bin Amir (may Allah be pleased with him). One day he passed by me and said: O Khalid, come out with us so that we may shoot. I was a little slow, so he said: O Khalid, come, let me tell you what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) narrated to me. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed Allah Almighty admits three people into Paradise by means of a single arrow: its maker who intends good in making it, the one who hands it (to the mujahid), and the one who shoots it. Shoot and ride, and your shooting is dearer to me than your riding. There is no (permissible) amusement except three: a man's training of his horse, his playing with his wife, and his shooting his arrows in defence of his people. And whoever learns archery and then abandons it, it is a blessing of Allah for which he was ungrateful." This hadith has a sahih (authentic) chain of narration, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it. It also has a supporting narration (shahid) in abridged form that is sahih on the condition of Imam Muslim.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Everything among the amusements of this world is vain except three: your shooting with your bow, training your horse and playing with your wife, for these are among the things that are right." And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Shoot and ride, and your shooting is dearer to me. Indeed Allah Almighty admits three people into Paradise by means of a single arrow: its maker who hopes for good in it, the one who supplies it, and the one who shoots it."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Amr bin Abasah (may Allah be pleased with him) that we besieged the fortress of Ta'if, and I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Whoever shoots an arrow in the way of Allah will have a reward equal to freeing a slave." The narrator said: That day I shot sixteen arrows. This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim), but they did not record it. It also has a supporting narration (shahid) from Sayyiduna Amr bin Abasah (may Allah be pleased with him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Amr bin Abasah (may Allah be pleased with him) that I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Whoever shoots an arrow at the enemy and it reaches its mark, whether it misses or hits, it is equal to freeing a slave."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd and Sayyiduna Abu Usayd al-Sa'idi (may Allah be pleased with them both) that when we and the enemy met face to face on the day of Badr, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to us: "When they come close to you, shoot arrows at them, and conserve your arrows (so that they are not wasted)." This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim), and Imam Bukhari has recorded it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) that on the day of Uhud the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to the Muslims: "Hand arrows to Sa'd. O Sa'd, shoot! May Allah keep your aim true. Shoot, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you." This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim), but they did not record it with this wording.