his children and family, or those under his authority, whatever encourages them to perform righteous deeds—whether money, praise, or anything else. This is why horse and camel racing, archery contests, and receiving prizes for them have been prescribed: they encourage the preparation of strength and the readiness of horses for jihad in Allah’s cause. Indeed, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his Rightly Guided Caliphs used to organize horse races and provide prizes from the public treasury. The same applies to giving to those whose hearts are to be won over, for it is related:

“A man would embrace Islam at the beginning of the day out of desire for worldly gain, yet before the day ended, Islam would be dearer to him than everything upon which the sun rises.”

Likewise, the sources of evil and disobedience should be cut off, the avenues leading to them blocked, and whatever leads to them prevented, unless it brings an overriding benefit. An example is the Prophet’s prohibition, expressed in his words, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

“No man should be alone with a woman, for Satan is the third of them.”

He also said:

“It is not lawful for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to undertake a journey of two days unless accompanied by her husband or a mahram—a relative whom she is permanently forbidden to marry.”

Thus, he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade being alone with a woman who is neither one’s wife nor a mahram, and travelling with her, because this provides an avenue to evil. It is related from al-Sha‘bī:

“When the delegation of ‘Abd al-Qays came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, there was among them a strikingly handsome boy, whom he seated behind him. He said, ‘David’s sin lay only in looking.’”

And ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb, may Allah be pleased with him, while patrolling Medina at night, heard a woman singing verses in which she said: