Compiled by Imam Abu Dawud as-Sijistani
حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ، حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ يَزِيدَ بْنِ جَابِرٍ، حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو سَلاَّمٍ، عَنْ خَالِدِ بْنِ زَيْدٍ، عَنْ عُقْبَةَ بْنِ عَامِرٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ : " إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يُدْخِلُ بِالسَّهْمِ الْوَاحِدِ ثَلاَثَةَ نَفَرٍ الْجَنَّةَ : صَانِعَهُ يَحْتَسِبُ فِي صَنْعَتِهِ الْخَيْرَ، وَالرَّامِيَ بِهِ، وَمُنْبِلَهُ، وَارْمُوا وَارْكَبُوا، وَأَنْ تَرْمُوا أَحَبُّ إِلَىَّ مِنْ أَنْ تَرْكَبُوا، لَيْسَ مِنَ اللَّهْوِ إِلاَّ ثَلاَثٌ : تَأْدِيبُ الرَّجُلِ فَرَسَهُ وَمُلاَعَبَتُهُ أَهْلَهُ وَرَمْيُهُ بِقَوْسِهِ وَنَبْلِهِ، وَمَنْ تَرَكَ الرَّمْىَ بَعْدَ مَا عَلِمَهُ رَغْبَةً عَنْهُ فَإِنَّهَا نِعْمَةٌ تَرَكَهَا " . أَوْ قَالَ : " كَفَرَهَا " .
I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: Allah, Most High, will cause three persons to enter Paradise for one arrow: the maker when he has a good motive in making it, the one who shoots it, and the one who hands it; so shoot and ride, but your shooting is dearer to me than your riding. Everything with which a man amuses himself is vain except three (things): a man's training of his horse, his playing with his wife, and his shooting with his bow and arrow. If anyone abandons archery after becoming an adept through distaste for it, it is a blessing he has abandoned; or he said: for which he has been ungrateful.