According to search-discovered classical Islamic scholarship, cowardice (الجبن - al-Jubn) is not merely an emotional response but a profound spiritual disease condemned in the Quran and Sunnah. It is defined as fearing that which ought not to be feared and shrinking from duty due to a weakness of the heart. Ibn Kathir's analysis of verses like 4:72 and throughout Surah At-Tawbah identifies cowardice as a hallmark of the hypocrites, stemming from their lack of sincere faith and attachment to worldly life. This is reinforced by Al-Qurtubi's commentary on Surah Al-Anfal 8:15-16, which classifies the ultimate act of cowardice—fleeing the battlefield—as a major sin that incurs Allah's wrath. Furthermore, spiritual psychologists like Ibn al-Qayyim frame al-Jubn as an illness of the heart, paired with miserliness, preventing a person from benefiting others with their self or their wealth. The synthesis across these verses and scholars presents cowardice as a failure of trust in Allah's decree, a betrayal of the community, and an obstacle to spiritual excellence.