his finger firmly, push with the lower part of the forearm, and leave in the palm, between that lower forearm and the bow-handle (1), a gap about two fingers wide.

This is the practice of the Persian masters—such as Shābūr Dhū al-Aktāf, Bahrām Gūr, and others—and it is the school of Abū Hāshim.

– Others take a middle course; this is the method of Isḥāq al-Raffāʾ. He keeps a space of one finger’s breadth between the handle and the lower forearm. In the judgment of expert archers, this is the soundest and most elegant of the methods.

It is related of Ṭāhir that he used to set the bow-grip against the bases of his fingers (2) with the grip level. Another report says that he would place the bow on those finger bases while canting them, the forearm remaining straight (3). This, they maintain, is the finest of the methods (4) and the one on which they principally rely.

One of the seasoned masters has said: “Whoever keeps the grip level should clench all his fingers with equal firmness and push with the whole of both forearm bones.”

This style is good for nearby targets and for hitting very small objects at close range; yet its practitioner is seldom spared the string’s slap against his forearm, and its cast is weak.