the string’s snapping, a sudden gale (1), or the coming of dense darkness and the like. If, despite such hindrances, he hits the target, the hit is counted in his favor; if he misses, the miss is not charged against him. The colleague who maintained that it should still be charged to him is wide of the mark, and even farther (2) from sound judgment are those Shāfiʿī scholars who claimed that a hit achieved under such conditions should not be credited to him. It is self-evident that striking the target in the midst of impediments bespeaks excellent aim and superior skill.

Abū al-Maʿālī al-Juwaynī said: “If the bow breaks or the string snaps before the arrow has left the bow, the archer is not debited with the miss; but if the break occurs after the arrow has passed beyond the bow, it is counted against him.”

Sub-issue
If the arrow itself breaks, then when the break is due to a weakness in its shaft, it is not counted against the archer. However, if the break results from poor shooting—such as failing to fix the nock (fūq) securely on the string during the draw, or overdrawing so that the arrowhead catches on the belly of the bow and snaps—then it is charged against him, for the fault lies in his shooting.

If, after the arrow has broken, he still strikes the target, there are two possibilities. Either the broken arrow strikes it crosswise, in which case nothing is counted for or against him; or it strikes lengthwise. In the latter event, if the strike is with the arrowhead, it is credited to him, but if it lands with something other than the arrowhead