ten out of a hundred, and that condition has not yet been met.

If the contest is of the race-to-the-mark type (mubādara) and they stipulate that whoever first reaches ten hits out of one hundred wins, then once one of them attains that number within the first fifty arrows, he is entitled to the prize and need not finish the round, for he has truly outstripped his opponent.

Section

In such arrangements it is essential to limit the total number of arrows—the rashq (volley)—to a fixed amount, so that all dispute is cut off and the lead can be ascertained with certainty. Otherwise the defeated party might insist, “I shall keep shooting until I prevail.”

The Shāfiʿī jurists have three views on this matter (1). The first is the one just stated. The second (2) holds that specifying the number of arrows is not a condition at all. The third maintains that it is required in offset scoring (muḥāṭṭah) and differential scoring (mufāḍalah) but not in the race-to-the-mark round (mubādara).

This last opinion is strong, for there is no benefit in making the number a condition in mubādara. When the agreement is, “whichever of us first reaches five hits is the winner,” the moment one of them reaches five his victory is settled, whether or not the total number of arrows had been fixed in advance.

In differential and offset scoring, however, if the number of arrows is not determined (3) the very purpose of the contract is lost and the dispute remains unresolved, for whenever one of the two lands a hit