Ruling on doing dangerous sports
Question

                What is the ruling on doing dangerous sports, such as walking across tightropes in high places, jumping down from high places and staying in a cage with snakes?
Praise be to Allah.Just as Islam has commanded the Muslim to 
          take care of his physical wellbeing, so too it forbids him to do any 
          kind of harm to his body. The Prophet  
          (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There should be no 
          harming or reciprocating harm.” (Narrated by Ibn Maajah, Kitaab 
          al-Ahkaam, 2332; Ahmad, 2719; Maalik, 1234).
 The scholars have discussed the matter 
          of doing dangerous sports.
 The author of al-Durr 
          al-Mukhtaar said: “According to the Hanafi fiqh, ‘… all kinds 
          of dangerous sports are permitted to the one who is skilled and is most 
          likely to be safe from harm, such as archery/shooting, or hunting snakes. 
          Watching these sports is permitted in such cases.’” (See al-Durr 
          al-Mukhtaar, 6/404) 
 The first condition:
Complete skill and proficiency 
          in these kinds of sports. That cannot be achieved without a lot of repeated 
          practice and training, until that level of proficiency is achieved. 
          If this training results in neglecting obligatory duties or ignoring 
          Sunnah or recommended actions, then the view that it is haraam is applicable 
          in this case. But if no such neglect results from this practice and 
          training, then the view that it is permitted is applicable, and it is 
          also permitted to watch.
 The second condition:
That it is most likely that 
          the person will be safe. If there is the slightest possibility that 
          he will not be safe, or there is doubt that he will be safe, then the 
          sport is haraam, because it may lead to his death. We are forbidden 
          to reach towards such things, because Allaah says (interpretation of 
          the meaning):
“…and 
          do not throw yourselves into destruction…” 
[al-Baqarah 2:195] 
          
 The third condition.
The sport should not be done for money. It is haraam 
          to take payment for such sports, because this is regarded as consuming 
          people’s wealth unlawfully, as there is no benefit in it.
See Bughiyat al-Mushtaaq 
          fi Hukm al-Lahw wa’l-La’b wa’l-Sibaaq, p. 156-157. 
 I say: these things should be limited 
          to special occasions and celebrations, provided that they comply with 
          the conditions mentioned above. The soundness of this opinion is based 
          on the reports about the Ethiopians playing in the mosque, so these 
          matters should be restricted to the days of Eid. By analogy they may 
          also be done on other special occasions and celebrations. Similarly, 
          such sports are regarded as permissible on the condition that there 
          is no mixing of men and women, and that the ‘awrahs of the players are 
          not visible, and that no games of magic are involved.