until they forced him against an acacia tree, which caught his cloak. He turned to them and said, “By Him in whose hand is my soul, if I had livestock as numerous as these thorn trees, I would distribute it among you. Then you would find me neither miserly, nor cowardly, nor a liar.”

Yet this varies according to aims and qualities, for actions are judged only by intentions, and each person shall have only what he intended. Hence, the Quran and Sunnah condemn miserliness and cowardice and praise courage and generosity in Allah’s cause—not when they are exercised outside His cause.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The worst traits in a man are avarice that fills him with anguish