An Islamic Viewpoint on Doping in Sports: An Analytical Study

Abstract

Islam recommends its followers to protect the body, to enjoy full health and also prohibits them from endangering their own soul (an-Nafs) which is within their body. This study attempts to present the perspective of Islamic Shari‘ah regarding performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) used in sports. This is achieved by showing that using prohibited substances and methods constitutes fraud. Moreover, it also has a detrimental effect on the right to life and the right of bodily integrity. The Problem: The problem states that some sports practitioners accept the idea of taking banned items and consider it to be inevitable in line with the sweeping trend of globalization. However, it is a fact that such behaviour contradicts Islamic ethics and rules which forbid cheating. Methodology: This study employed descriptive, analytical, and inferential methods as these methods suit the objectives and hypotheses of the study. Authenticity and Value: The originality and value of this study appears in its ethical presentation and treatment of the phenomenon which has been stripped of any moral determinant. Findings: The most important finding of this study is that cheating in sports, particularly doping in sports, is a serious problem that needs a radical solution. Furthermore, any respected athlete (male or female) who is taking PEDs should abstain from taking such drugs because it is considered as cheating that harms the body and endangers life. Accordingly, a person who takes prohibited and banned drugs contravenes both the Islamic Shari‘ah and the secular law. Moreover, that person deserves punishment suggested by both of these codes of law.