the common good through arbitration, the erasure of his name, and his refusal to take Muslim women and children captive. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, commanded that these people be fought, because their religion is corrupt and brings neither worldly nor otherworldly well-being.

Misguided scrupulousness is often confused with cowardice and miserliness, since both involve refraining from something. Thus, avoiding wrongdoing out of fear of Allah Most High may be confused with neglecting the prescribed duties of jihad and spending out of cowardice and miserliness. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

“The worst qualities in a person are consuming greed and paralyzing cowardice.”

Al-Tirmidhī said: “An authentic hadith.”

Likewise, someone may refrain from acting, believing or pretending that this is scrupulousness, when it is nothing but arrogance and a desire for supremacy. The Prophet’s saying, peace and blessings be upon him,

“Deeds are judged only by intentions,”

is comprehensive and complete. Intention is to a deed what the soul is to the body. After all, both someone prostrating to Allah and someone prostrating to the sun or moon place their foreheads on the ground: their outward forms are identical, yet one is among those nearest to Allah Most High, while the other is among those furthest from Him.

Allah Most High said:

“And urge one another to patience and urge one another to compassion.”

A transmitted report states:

“The best of faith is generosity and patience.”

Caring for people and governing them properly require generosity, meaning giving, and valour, meaning courage. Indeed, neither religious nor worldly affairs can be set right without them. Thus, whoever fails to uphold these two qualities is stripped of authority by [Allah] (1), who transfers it to someone else, as declared by