Sunan an-Nasai Book 28, Hadith 3578

أَخْبَرَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ مُجَالِدٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عِيسَى بْنُ يُونُسَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ بْنِ جَابِرٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو سَلاَّمٍ الدِّمَشْقِيُّ، عَنْ خَالِدِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ الْجُهَنِيِّ، قَالَ كَانَ عُقْبَةُ بْنُ عَامِرٍ يَمُرُّ بِي فَيَقُولُ يَا خَالِدُ اخْرُجْ بِنَا نَرْمِي ‏.‏ فَلَمَّا كَانَ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ أَبْطَأْتُ عَنْهُ فَقَالَ يَا خَالِدُ تَعَالَ أُخْبِرْكَ بِمَا قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأَتَيْتُهُ فَقَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُدْخِلُ بِالسَّهْمِ الْوَاحِدِ ثَلاَثَةَ نَفَرٍ الْجَنَّةَ صَانِعَهُ يَحْتَسِبُ فِي صُنْعِهِ الْخَيْرَ وَالرَّامِيَ بِهِ وَمُنَبِّلَهُ وَارْمُوا وَارْكَبُوا وَأَنْ تَرْمُوا أَحَبُّ إِلَىَّ مِنْ أَنْ تَرْكَبُوا وَلَيْسَ اللَّهْوُ إِلاَّ فِي ثَلاَثَةٍ تَأْدِيبِ الرَّجُلِ فَرَسَهُ وَمُلاَعَبَتِهِ امْرَأَتَهُ وَرَمْيِهِ بِقَوْسِهِ وَنَبْلِهِ وَمَنْ تَرَكَ الرَّمْىَ بَعْدَ مَا عَلِمَهُ رَغْبَةً عَنْهُ فَإِنَّهَا نِعْمَةٌ كَفَرَهَا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ أَوْ قَالَ ‏"‏ كَفَرَ بِهَا ‏"‏ ‏.‏

It was narrated that Khalid bin Yazid Al-Juhani said:"Uqbah bin 'Amir used to pass by me and say: 'O Khalid, let us go out and shoot arrows.' One day I came late and he said: 'O Khalid, come and I will tell you what the Messenger of Allah said.' So I went to him and he said: 'The Messenger of Allah said: Allah will admit three people to Paradise because of one arrow: The one who makes it seeking good thereby, the one who shoots it and the one who hands it to him. So shoot and ride, and if you shoot that is dearer to me than if you ride. And play is only in three things: A man training his horse, and playing with his wife, and shooting with his bow and arrow. Whoever gives up shooting after learning it because he is no longer interested in it, that is a blessing for which he is ungrateful -or that he has rejected