This is the view adopted by Imām Aḥmad and, according to one of the two positions in the Shāfiʿī school, by Imām al-Shāfiʿī as well (1).

A second position holds that the lagging archer must still complete his volleys, even when it is certain that he has already been outstripped. Their rationale is that the victor may have a valid purpose in seeing those additional shots—namely, to learn from his companion’s technique (2).

They say further: even if we oblige him to finish shooting, the right to the prize is not made contingent upon those remaining arrows, for it has already been earned by the number of hits whose attainment was stipulated as decisive (3).

Thus, if one contestant has ten hits out of fifty shots while the other has nine hits out of forty-nine, and the agreed round is fifty arrows each (4), the latter must still complete his fiftieth shot, however unlikely another hit may seem, for he might yet strike the target.

In summary: whenever it is certain that the lagging archer cannot possibly reach the required tally, he is not obliged to finish shooting, nor is the victor’s entitlement suspended on his doing so (5). But whenever there remains a hope of completing the requisite hits, the volleys must be completed and the winner’s claim is deferred until that completion.