The tribe was its sacred value; Arabs had no notion of an afterlife and an individual had no unique or eternal destiny. The only immortality that a man or woman achieved was in the tribe and the continuation of the spirit. Each had a duty to cultivate muruwah to ensure that the tribe would survive. Thus the tribe looked after its own. Its chief was expected to take care of the weaker members of his group and to distribute its possessions and goods equally. Largesse was an important virtue: a chief could demonstrate his power and confidence by means of lavish and generous hospitality to his tribesmen and to his friendly confederates in other tribal groups. Hospitality and generosity are still supreme Arab virtues.
— Karen Armstrong, Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet