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Fatwa CenterMisses Prayers to Become Professional Athlete
Question
My friend is an aspiring sportsman. Needles to say for his fitness sake he has to spend a lot of time practicing during the course of which he often misses some obligatory worship. He wants to know if he continues like this and becomes a professional sportsman would the earnings from his profession Halal? Answer in the light of Qur'an and Ahadith. Answer in English.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
Taking wages against the involvement in useful sports is permissible provided they do not cause dangerous physical harms. It is like hiring someone for any useful purpose. In this contract, the hired person will get what has already been agreed upon for the services he provides to the other party.
However, even though making sports as a career is allowed, one has to regard the rulings of the Sharee’ah, such as covering the ‘Awrah, not wasting one's time, and neglecting what is more important than sports, etc.
No doubt, neglecting the prayer or other obligations for sports is among the major sins. So, one should repent from that as soon as possible. Allah says (what means): {Except the companions of the right; [Who will be] in gardens, questioning each other; About the criminals; [And asking them], “What put you into Saqar?”; They will say, “We were not of those who prayed.} [Quran 74:39-43]
Allah also says (what means): {So woe to those who pray; [But] who are heedless of their prayer.} [Quran 107:4-5]
These verses mean those who delay performing the prayer.
The Prophet said: “Between a person and disbelief and polytheism is abandoning the prayer.” [Muslim]
‘Umar 
said: “Whoever abandons prayers does not have any portion of Islam.”
‘Abdullah Ibn Shaqeeq said: “The companions of the Prophet did not consider any act that leads to Kufr if abandoned except abandoning the prayer.”
Allah knows best.
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