Is bodybuilding permissible?

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

We are advised to look after our bodies and maintain them. See the following Ahadith:

فَإِنَّ لِجَسَدِكَ عَلَيْكَ حَقًّا

Translation:  Verily, your body has a right over you. (Bukhari 1975)

الْمُؤْمِنُ الْقَوِيُّ خَيْرٌ وَأَحَبُّ إِلَى اللهِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِ الضَّعِيفِ وَفِي كُلٍّ خَيْرٌ

Translation: A strong believer is better and more lovable to Allah than a weak believer, and there is good in everyone. (Saheeh Muslim 2664)

It is understood from the above Ahadith that a person with a healthy and strong body is better than a person with a weak body. The prime objective of maintaining one’s body should be to live a healthy life and be able to make Ibadat.

If one does bodybuilding with the correct intention, then he will be rewarded.

However, if one does it as a profession[i] or he does it to impress others, then in this instance, bodybuilding will not be permissible.

Brother, you enquired about going to the gym with friends. It should be noted that many gyms are frequented by women who wear revealing clothing. Furthermore, there is music and other evils prevalent in such an environment.

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Mohamed Ebrahim bin Ismail Abdullah

Student - Darul Iftaa

Pietermaritzburg, KZN, South Africa 

Checked and Approved by,

Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

04-04-1442|20-11-2020

[i]

Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's musculature for aesthetic purposes. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. In professional bodybuilding, competitors appear in lineups and perform specified poses (and later individual posing routines) for a panel of judges who rank them based on symmetry, muscularity, size, conditioning, posing, and stage presentation. Bodybuilders prepare for competitions through the elimination of nonessential body fat, enhanced at the last stage by a combination of extracellular dehydration and carbo-loading, to achieve maximum muscular definition and vascularity; they also tan and shave to accentuate the contrast of their skin under the spotlights.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodybuilding