righteousness and kindness, while prohibiting anything that harms brotherhood and mutual affection.

2 – Contentious disputation (mumārah) is the sort of arguing and quarrelling a person engages in with his companion merely to expose the flaws in his words or the defects in his thinking. This is an ignoble trait that breeds estrangement and resentment among friends and brothers. What is required in any gathering of believers is that each person respect the other. If a question is raised and needs to be discussed, it should be handled through calm understanding and courteous dialogue. Should one find his companion’s idea sound, he should praise, accept, and support it; but if it is incorrect or defective, he should amend it with tactful speech and a gentle approach that does not make the other feel humiliated or censured. If, on the other hand, the gathering is general and characterised by light-hearted jokes and stories, and someone stumbles in relating a tale or telling a joke, the better course is simply to let it go, for nothing of consequence hinges upon it.

3 – As for joking, let it be light, pleasant, courteous, and respectful. It should not drag on or become heavy-handed to the point that it oversteps the limits and provokes anger, enmity, and hatred.

4 – Concerning promises: do not promise your brother something, filling him with hope that you will carry it out, and then fail to keep your word. That harms him on one level and stirs his resentment toward you on another. Either refrain from making the promise in the first place, or, if you do promise, fulfil it.

5 – The jurists have differed over the ruling on fulfilling a promise. The soundest view is that it becomes obligatory when the promise places the one promised in a predicament or causes him loss. In that case, the promiser must either honour the promise or compensate the promisee for the loss incurred because of it. This is the conclusion adopted by the Islamic Fiqh Council.