Section
The second mode: mufāḍalah (1)
This is when the two competitors agree that whoever surpasses the other by one, two, or three hits out of twenty shots shall be declared the winner.

So, if they stipulate, “Whoever outstrips his companion by three hits out of twenty is the victor,” and they then shoot twelve arrows each, whereupon one archer lands every shot while the other misses them all, the series need not continue; the win goes to the marksman. The reason is that the most the other archer could possibly hit are the remaining eight arrows, and the first has already surpassed him under every scenario (2).

If, however, the first archer scores ten of the twelve, they must both shoot the thirteenth arrow. Should they both hit, both miss, or the first shooter alone hit, the first has won and no further shooting is required, for the utmost the second can attain is the remaining seven arrows, which would still not put him in the lead.

But if the second alone strikes the thirteenth, they must proceed to the fourteenth. The ruling for the fourteenth—and for every arrow thereafter—is identical to that of the thirteenth: whenever they both hit, both miss, or the first shooter alone hits, the decision goes to him and the rest of the arrows need not be released, because the most the second could then reach are the remaining seven, which would still not make him the leader.

And if the second alone lands that arrow, then both must shoot the fourteenth, and the ruling concerning it