and said, ‘By Him in whose hand is my soul, if I had as many head of livestock as there are thorn trees here, I would distribute them among you. Then you would not find me miserly, cowardly, or given to lying.’”

Yet these qualities differ according to the purposes and characteristics involved. Actions are judged only by intentions, and each person will have only what he intended. Thus the Quran and Sunnah condemn miserliness and cowardice, and praise courage and generosity in Allah’s cause—not when exercised outside His cause. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

“The worst traits in a person are panic-driven avarice and paralyzing cowardice.”

He also said:

“Who is your chief, Banū Salimah?”

They replied, “Al-Jadd ibn Qays, although we regard him as miserly.”

He said, “What disease is worse than miserliness?”

Another narration reads:

“A chief cannot be miserly. Rather, your chief is the fair-skinned, curly-haired al-Barā’ ibn Ma‘rūr.”

Likewise, the Sahīh records that Jābir ibn Abdullah said to Abū Bakr al-Siddīq, may Allah be pleased with them both, “Either give to me or withhold from me out of miserliness.” He replied, “You say, ‘Or withhold from me out of miserliness’? What disease is worse than miserliness?” Miserliness was thus counted among the gravest diseases.

In Sahīh Muslim, Salmān ibn Rabī‘ah reported that ‘Umar said:

“The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, distributed some wealth, and I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, by Allah, others are more entitled to it than these people.’ He replied, ‘They have given me a choice between asking me abusively and accusing me of miserliness, and I am no miser.’”

He means: “They make improper demands of me: either I give to them, or they say, ‘He is miserly.’ They have thus forced me to choose between two unwelcome things, allowing me no escape from one or the other: abuse and accusations of miserliness. Being accused of miserliness is worse, so I ward off