followed them to these garrison towns, seeking fertile countryside and a more ample livelihood. Yet he added: “Medina is better for them, if only they knew.”

In Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim it is reported from Abū Dharr, from the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—that he said:

“Egypt will be conquered; it is a land where the qīrāṭ is mentioned. So recommend its people for good treatment.”

In another wording: “Be generous to its people, for they possess a covenant and ties of kinship. When you see two men fighting over the spot of a single brick, then leave it.”