The Prophet ﷺ used to seek refuge with Allah (1) from cowardice (2).

Cowardice is a blameworthy trait in the estimation of all people. Those who are cowardly harbor ill thoughts of Allah, whereas the brave and the generous are those who think well of Him. One of the sages advised (3): “Keep the company of the generous and the courageous, for they are the ones who entertain good expectations of Allah. Courage is a shield (4) that protects a man from hardships, while cowardice merely assists his enemy against him; it is as though he hands his foe an army and weapons with which to fight him (5).”

The Arabs also say (6): “Courage is protection, but cowardice is destruction.” Allah, Exalted be He, has exposed the false hopes of cowards who imagine that their cowardice will save them from being killed or from dying. He declared: “Say, ‘Running away will not benefit you; if you flee from death or killing…’” (Al-Ahzab 33:16).

A poet has aptly said (7):