Whoever lets the arrow run (1) over the knuckle of his thumb is deemed faulty by the experts, for the fletching can scarcely avoid striking that spot and cutting it, and the shaft itself may even hit him (2) and gash his finger.

The archer who lets it travel over his index finger is only slightly better than the first. Both practices belong to the school of the level grip (ahl al-istiwāʾ), and neither is commendable.

The one who guides it along the bases of the nails of both thumb and index finger—his hand resembling the sign for “thirty”—follows the method of moderation (madhhab al-tawassuṭ), and it is the best of all approaches.

As for the archer who locks (3) his thumb and lets the arrow rest on the tip of its nail, like the sign for “thirteen,” this is the method of the tilters (ahl al-taḥrīf) and is exceedingly poor. Its practitioner twists his grip sharply and immobilises his thumb; if he tilts the bow even slightly, the arrow slips off the nail. It is unreliable in battle, for his shot is rarely true owing to the arrow’s quick drop.

Reason (4) the arrow rises, falls, or flies straight

The scholars of archery have held widely divergent views on this question. We shall report their statements, weigh them, and point out the sound one.

• A group said: Once an arrow leaves the belly of the bow, its course is to traverse the distance to the target in a perfectly level line, neither rising nor dipping, but remaining parallel