has had his children precede him in death. Likewise, strength and power are valued, so he explained that strength of character is more deserving of praise than bodily strength: it consists in controlling oneself when angry. As one of the Arab leaders was asked:

“Why do your slaves show greater endurance than you in war and at work?”

He replied, “They have greater bodily endurance, while we have greater self-control.”

As for his statement concerning the designation “Muslims,” it is of the same kind as his statements concerning the Muslim, the believer, the migrant, and the one who strives in Allah’s cause. This accords with what was explained earlier: the Lawgiver negates a designation established by the Sharia only when the completeness required for it is lacking. Abandoning what Allah has forbidden is obligatory, and keeping Muslims safe from one’s aggression, whether by tongue or hand, is obligatory. As for the believer whom people trust with their lives and property, people can only trust someone if he is trustworthy, and trustworthiness is obligatory.

The needy person who does not beg and whose circumstances are unknown is more deserving of assistance than someone who makes his need known and asks for help. Giving to him is obligatory, and it is impermissible to give exclusively to the beggar while leaving this person out. Rather, giving preference to the one who does not beg is more fitting, more binding, and more beloved.

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“There is no migration after the conquest, but striving in Allah’s cause and intention remain. When you are called upon to mobilize, mobilize.”

He also said:

“Migration will not cease as long as the enemy is fought.”

Both statements are true. In the first, he meant the migration familiar in his time: migration to Medina from Mecca and elsewhere in Arabia. This migration was prescribed when Mecca and other places were lands of disbelief and war, while Medina was the home of faith. Migration from the land of disbelief to the land of Islam was therefore obligatory for anyone able to undertake it. Then, when Mecca was conquered and became a land of Islam, and the Arabs embraced Islam,