Khalid bin Yazid, may Allah have mercy on him, says: I was an expert in archery. Sayyiduna Uqbah al-Juhani, may Allah be pleased with him, would call me and say: Khalid! Come, let us practice archery together. One day I was late, so he said: Come, I will narrate to you a hadith of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and tell you what you had said to me. I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say: Allah Almighty will admit three people into Paradise because of a single arrow: the one who makes it, intending reward; the one who shoots it; and the one who hands it to the archer. Practice archery and horseback riding; archery is more beloved to me than horseback riding. Three types of play are permissible: training and disciplining a horse, playing and joking with one’s wife, and practicing archery with a bow. Whoever learns archery and then abandons it out of disregard has shown ingratitude for a blessing.