Chapter 52: The virtue of Shooting and Encouragement to learn it, and criticism of the one who learns it and then forgets it - كتاب الإمارة
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ رُمْحِ بْنِ الْمُهَاجِرِ، أَخْبَرَنَا اللَّيْثُ، عَنِ الْحَارِثِ بْنِ يَعْقُوبَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ شَمَاسَةَ، أَنَّ فُقَيْمًا اللَّخْمِيَّ، قَالَ لِعُقْبَةَ بْنِ عَامِرٍ تَخْتَلِفُ بَيْنَ هَذَيْنِ الْغَرَضَيْنِ وَأَنْتَ كَبِيرٌ يَشُقُّ عَلَيْكَ . قَالَ عُقْبَةُ لَوْلاَ كَلاَمٌ سَمِعْتُهُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم لَمْ أُعَانِهِ . قَالَ الْحَارِثُ فَقُلْتُ لاِبْنِ شُمَاسَةَ وَمَا ذَاكَ قَالَ إِنَّهُ قَالَ " مَنْ عَلِمَ الرَّمْىَ ثُمَّ تَرَكَهُ فَلَيْسَ مِنَّا أَوْ قَدْ عَصَى " .
It has been reported by 'Abd al-Rahman b. Shamasa that Fuqaim al- Lakhmi said to Uqba b. Amir:
You frequent between these two targets and you are an old man, so you will be finding it very hard. 'Uqba said: But for a thing I heard from the Prophet (ﷺ), I would not strain myself. Harith (one of the narrators in the chain of transmitters) said: I asked Ibn Shamasa: What was that? He said that he (the Holy Prophet) said: Who learnt archery and then gave it up is not from us. or he has been guilty of disobedience (to Allah's Apostle).