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ʿAmr b. Maʿdīkarib said, “Panic comes in three forms: if it settles in a man’s legs, his legs will no longer carry him; if it settles in his head, he will flee even from father and mother; and if it settles in his heart, he will not fight.” (1)

Cowardice and courage are innate traits. The coward bolts from his own bride, whereas the courageous man fights on behalf of (2) someone he does not even know—just as the poet said (3):

The tribe’s coward runs from his very mother,
while the tribe’s brave man shields one to whom he has no kinship.

The brave man is the very opposite of the miser: the miser hoards his wealth, but the brave man gives his very life, as the saying goes:

How wide the gulf between people whose only outlay is money
and people who lavish their own lives. (4)