Horses alone are allotted a share of the spoils in jihad, to the exclusion of mules and donkeys. They are the animals about which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Blessing is tied to their forelocks until the Day of Resurrection” (1). He urged Muslims to acquire them and care for them, and he informed us that their urine and dung will weigh in their owner’s scale of good deeds. He also ruled that schooling them—training and drilling them in charge and retreat—is a rightful act, unlike the training of other beasts. It was horses that Allah, exalted is He, ordered the believers to keep tethered in preparation for His enemy, saying, “And prepare against them whatever force you can, including tethered war-horses” (al-Anfal 60). Through horses He guaranteed honor for their owners and domination over their foes; their backs confer dignity upon their riders (2) and serve as citadels and strongholds. Horses were the most beloved of mounts to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ; they are the noblest of animals, the loftiest in spirit, and the closest in temperament to humankind.

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As for archery with arrows, its benefit, impact, and the damage it inflicts on the enemy have already been mentioned (3), as well as the fear that a single archer can cast into an army devoid of archers (4). To liken catapults, slings, staff-slings (5), and the like to archery is one of the most baseless analogies, both in form and in substance. As for throwing with darts (mazāriq) and spears (ḥirāb), although it contains