the sun shone in his face. I have never seen anyone walk faster than the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace; it was as though the earth were being folded up for him. We would strain ourselves to keep pace, while he remained quite untroubled.” (1)

Alī ibn Abī Tālib said: “When the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, walked, he leaned forward, as though descending a slope.” (2) On another occasion, he said: “When he walked, he lifted his feet firmly off the ground.” (3)

I say: This lifting gait means lifting oneself bodily from the ground, as one does when descending a slope. It is the gait of those possessed of resolve, aspiration, and courage. It is the most balanced manner of walking, the easiest on the limbs, and the furthest removed from reckless, undignified, or affectedly feeble walking.

A person may walk with affected feebleness, moving stiffly as one piece, like a piece of wood being carried. This is an ugly, blameworthy gait. Or he may walk with restless, erratic movements, like a wildly rushing camel. This too is blameworthy and indicates the person’s foolishness, especially if he frequently looks right and left as he walks. Or he may walk gently, which is the gait of