the Messenger of Allah — may Allah bless him and grant him peace — once carried an Arabian bow. When he noticed a man holding a Persian bow, he asked, “What is this? Throw it away and take up one of these and their like, along with the qana-type spears, for through them Allah will strengthen the religion and grant you firm footing in the land.”

Spears in warfare are to the combatant what horns are to wild beasts (1): with them he repels whoever attacks and fights off the enemy. Imam Ahmad expressly stated that training with the spear is better than performing supererogatory prayers in places where jihad is required (2).

Horsemanship reveals itself in three things:
– riding horses and racing them;
– shooting arrows;
– and practicing with the spear. The latter comprises many techniques whose essence is thrusting, feinting, shifting, releasing, casting (3), engaging, and disengaging.

The whole discipline rests on two foundations (4): thrusting and feinting.