George Sale, The Koran, commonly called the Alcoran of Mohammed, translated into English immediately from the original Arabic; with Explanatory Notes, taken from the most approved Commentators. To which is prefixed A Preliminary Discource (1734)

The exercise of arms and horsemanship they were in a manner obliged to practise and encourage, by reason of the independance of their tribes, whose frequent jarrings made wars almost continual; and they chiefly ended their disputes in field battles; it being an usual saying among them, that God had bestowed four peculiar things on the Arabs, that their turbands should be to them instead of diadems, their tents instead of walls and houses, their swords instead of intrenchments, and their poems instead of written laws ¹.

Hospitality was so habitual to them, and so much esteemed, that the examples of this kind among them exceed whatever can be produced from other nations. Hatem of the tribe of Tay ², and Hasn of that of Fezârah ³, were particularly famous on this account; and the contrary vice was so much in contempt, that a certain poet upbraids the inhabitants of Waset, as with the greatest reproach, that none of their men had the heart to give, nor their women to deny ⁴.

Nor were the Arabs less propense to liberality after the coming of Mohammed, than their ancestors had been. I could produce many remarkable instances of this commendable quality among them ⁵, but shall content myself with the following. Three men were disputing in the court of the Caaba, which was the most liberal person among the Arabs. One gave the preference to Abdallah, the son of Jaafar the uncle of Mohammed; another to Kais Ebn Saad Ebn Obâdah; and the third gave it to Arâbah of the tribe of Aws. After much debate, one that was present, to end the dispute, proposed that each of them should go to his friend, and ask his assistance; that they might see what every one gave, and form a judgment accordingly. This was agreed to; and Abdallah’s friend going to him, found him with his foot in the stirrup, just mounting his camel for a journey, and thus accosted him; Son of the uncle of the apostle of God, I am travelling and in necessity. Upon which Abdallah alighted, and bid him take the camel with all that was upon her, but desired him not to part with a sword which happened to be fixed to the saddle, because it had belonged to Ali, the son of Abutâleb. So he took the camel, and found on her some vests of silk, and 4000 pieces of gold; but the thing of greatest value was the sword. The second went to Kais Ebn Saad, whose servant told him that his master was asleep; and desired to know his business. The friend answered that he came