His statement: “its customary accompaniments”: in our view, the finest accompaniment is mutton.

His statement: “and meat according to the custom of the affluent”: al-mūsirīn may be read either as al-mūsirīn or al-mūsirayni. Thus, if it is the custom of the affluent in a town to have meat brought every day, then he must provide it every day; if it is once a week, then he must provide it once a week. If they customarily have camel meat, then camel meat; if beef, then beef; if mutton, then mutton; if chicken, then chicken—according to the circumstances.

His statement: “in their locality” means with respect to both time and type. As for clothing, he says:

“and the kind of silk and other clothing worn by women of her standing,” meaning that he buys her the garments customarily worn by women of her standing, whether silk or other materials, such as linen, wool, and the like.

His statement: “For sleeping, she is entitled to a mattress, quilt, sheet, and pillow”: the mattress should be of the finest available type, as should the quilt, sheet, and pillow—which is the cushion—because she is a wealthy woman married to a wealthy man.

His statement: “and for sitting, a good-quality mat”: a mat is a woven palm-leaf floor covering. Nowadays, it is of no value among us; even the poor do not use it. But perhaps it was in use in the author’s time. These items he mentioned are merely examples and are not themselves decisive; rather, what matters is the governing principle.

His statement: “and a rug”: that is, a floor covering made of wool.