Ruling on working as a physical education teacher
Question

                I hear scholars talking about playing and sports. I read on your website that it is not permissible to work as a sports analyst, is it the same as for working as a physical education teacher in schools? Bearing to mind that practising sports in school does not take all the time, and it does not clash with prayer times.
Praise be to Allah.
    Teaching sports as they are taught in schools nowadays is a 
    permissible profession, so long as the teacher strives to avoid haraam 
    things which often occur in this field, such as mixing, uncovering of 
    ‘awrahs, missing prayers, and going to extremes in practising sports so that 
    they overtake other duties. Indeed, the physical education teacher has a 
    great role to play in influencing the students’ behaviour and attitude. He 
    is close to them because he does something with them that they love, and he 
    can make the most of his position with them to teach them good attitudes and 
    how to interact with others in a good manner, and he can remind them to pray 
    regularly and on time, and do other duties, in addition to the physical and 
    health benefits that the students may gain from this subject, if the teacher 
    is sincere in his work and does not fall short in his duties towards Allaah 
    and towards other people. 

    Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said in al-Liqa’ al-Shahri 
    (14/question no. 6): 

    I call on my brothers who practise these sports to adhere to 
    Islam. I know that there are among them those who adhere to Islam 
    completely, praise be to Allaah, but I would like them to call their fellows 
    to adhere to the religion of Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, and to 
    establish prayer in congregation on time, and to wear covering clothes, and 
    we hope that they will be guided to that which is good. End quote. 

    Shaykh Ibn Jibreen said: 

    The purpose of sport is to train the body to move and become 
    strong and healthy, and to become able to carry heavy objects and put up 
    with hardship, because a person may need to rely on himself sometimes, and 
    if he has physical strength he will be able to walk on his own two feet for 
    a day or several days, and he will be able to carry his luggage and supplies 
    and food on his head, and save himself from doom. It has happened that some 
    people’s bus broke down in the desert and they were a day and night’s walk 
    from the nearest town, and not one of them was able to save himself, so they 
    all died, and there were about forty of them. Hence we think that 
    governments should train their troops, workers and young people to walk and 
    run and carry heavy objects, and to put up with hunger and the like. This is 
    the benefit of sports and physical training, and this is what the sports 
    player gets used to through training his body to move and bear hardship. But 
    as for interviewing players and watching them on audio or video broadcasts 
    or following news that is published about them, I think that this is not 
    important, rather it is a waste of time and financial resources, and a 
    blatant loss, because of the evils, envy, competition, travelling for long 
    distances and great expense involved, in addition to the fact that it does 
    not bring any benefit to the spectator, because when he goes to watch 
    matches and buys a ticket, and he sits waiting and then watching for several 
    hours, then at the end he is faced with the crowds and dangers, and there 
    are sometimes traffic accidents and the like, all of that is evil and 
    harmful and dangerous, which has no benefit. What benefit can he gain from 
    watching these players and reading the newspapers that carry reports about 
    them, and spending a lot of money on them and a lot of time reading them and 
    following news of them.  

    We advise the trainers and sportsmen to encourage the 
    students of physical education to enter fields and competitions and to 
    learn, and to warn them against wasting time on reading, listening and 
    watching, or following news that is of no importance. Thus they will guide 
    them to that which is beneficial and steer them away from that which is 
    harmful. It is not permissible to praise the kuffaar if they become 
    prominent in their field and excel in sports, rather we should compete in 
    that which will benefit us in this world and in the Hereafter. And Allaah 
    knows best. End quote.

    Quoted from his website:


    
    
    http://www.ibn-jebreen.com/book.php?cat=6&book=2&toc=71&page=66&subid=18502

    So there is nothing wrong with practising sport in moderation 
    and adhering to Islamic etiquette, and there is nothing wrong with teaching 
    that to others and training them. 

    Thus we can see the difference between the sports analyst and 
    the teacher of physical education. The analyst wastes his time and the time 
    of others in things that are of no benefit, and his work may involve 
    praising and venerating the kuffaar, which may attract the young to their 
    ways and make them take them as an example. 

    But the teacher of physical education is strengthening the 
    bodies of his students, and they will benefit from that in both religious 
    and worldly terms.

    And Allaah knows best.