and in hot countries, the outer surfaces grow hot while the interiors become cold, so food is not digested as well as it is in winter. Spring water is cold because the earth’s interior is cold, and animals venture into the open country because the air is warm. Bloodletting may therefore not benefit these people and may even harm them, whereas cupping is more beneficial for them.

His words,

“Healing for my community,”

refer to those who belonged to his community at that time, who were in the Hijāz. Similarly, he said, “Between east and west is the direction of prayer,” because that was the direction of prayer for his community at the time, as they lived in Medina and its surroundings.

Likewise, towards the end of his life, after Hajj had been made obligatory in the ninth or tenth year, he designated three places for entering ihrām—the consecrated state of pilgrimage—for the people of Medina, Najd and Greater Syria. When he conquered Yemen, he designated Yalamlam for its people, and then designated Dhāt ‘Irq for the people of Iraq.

Similarly, he prescribed the charity due at the end of Ramadan as one sā‘ (a measure of volume) of dates or one sā‘ of barley for every Muslim, young or old, male or female. This was what was obligatory for the people of Medina because barley and dates were their staple foods. Hence, the great majority of scholars held that those whose staple food is rice, dhura or something similar should give from their own staple food. This is also one of the two opinions reported from Ahmad. As for whether giving dates or barley discharges the obligation when these are not a person’s staple food, scholars hold two opinions.

The Companions used to shoot with the long Arabian bow, which resembles a cotton-carding bow, and through it Allah enabled them to conquer lands. Reports have been transmitted from some of the early generations expressing disapproval of shooting with the Persian bow because it was a distinctive emblem of the unbelievers. But once