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Giving the Road its Due
Author : Dr. Mufti Sa`eid Farhan
Date Added : 08-10-2024

 

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. Afterwards:

Islamic law has meticulously organized the life of a Muslim, encompassing all aspects of their life. It has clarified the rights and duties, boundaries, and relationships between people.

One of the matters addressed is the rights related to the road. These rights were given significant attention due to their central role in people's lives. The road is a public utility, not owned by anyone nor monopolized by any individual. Because of this, Islamic law established rules and principles that organize the rulings of the road, which are evident through the following manifestations:

The First Manifestation: Preserving the cleanliness of the road, maintaining it, and repairing it:

This is evident through the following:

First: Maintaining the road is considered a branch of faith. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Faith has over seventy—or sixty—branches, the best of which is the declaration that there is no god worthy of worship but Allah, and the least of which is removing harm from the road, and modesty is a branch of faith." [Moslim]. Imam Al-Nawawi, in explaining the meaning of "removing harm" said: "It means clearing it away and removing it. Harm refers to anything harmful, such as stones, dirt, or thorns, or anything else." [Sharh Al-Nawawi Ala Moslim: Vol.2/P.6].

The Second manifestation: The Porhibition of violating road:

Islamic law has promised great reward for removing harm from the road. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "While a man was going along the path he found a thorny branch upon it. He pushed it to a side and Allah approved (this action) of his and (as a mark of appreciation) granted him pardon." [Al-Bukhari] He also said: "I have seen a man going about in paradise as a reward for cutting down a tree which was overhanging a road and annoying people." [Moslim]. The word "going about in Paradise" means taking pleasure. Thus, the outcome of removing harm from the path of Muslims was that Allah admitted him into Paradise. And what does a Muslim seek from their actions more than getting admitted into Paradise?

Abu Barzah Al-Aslami said: I asked: "O Prophet of Allah, teach me something that will benefit me." He said: "Remove harm from the path of Muslims." [Moslim].

These noble hadiths and others highlight the great virtue and immense reward for this branch of faith.

The Second Manifestation: Prohibition of harming the road:

This is illustrated by the following:

First: Prohibition of anything that harms the road. Scholars, when explaining the hadith "The Rights of the Road," emphasized that a Muslim must refrain from harming the road. Just as removing harm from the road is a charity for which a Muslim is rewarded, harming the road is a sin for which a person is accountable. Warning against harming others, Imam Muhammad Al-Khuli said: "Pouring water on the road until feet slip, placing obstacles in the path where pedestrians may stumble, or throwing garbage or thorns that could harm passersby, or narrowing the road with one's seating where neighbors are bothered, exposing their women, and restricting their freedom—all of this is harm that must be stopped, and efforts made to keep it away from pedestrians." [Al-Adab Al-Nabawi/Vol.1/P.71].

Scholars have derived from texts encouraging care for the road that anything harmful to the road is prohibited. In his explanation of the hadiths about the virtue of removing harm from the road, Imam Al-Ayni, said: "It indicates that placing thorns, stones, waste, or harmful water in the road, or anything that harms people, may lead to punishment in this world and the hereafter." [Umdat Al-Qari/Vol. 13/P. 23].

Second: The prohibition of encroaching on the road. Anything that constitutes an encroachment on the road is prohibited by Islamic law and considered among the evil acts. Imam Al-Ghazali listed some examples of road encroachments under the chapter "Evils of Streets" saying: "Among the common evils is placing columns or building raised platforms connected to private properties, planting trees, extending balconies, placing wood or grain loads on the roads. All of this is wrong if it leads to narrowing the road or harming pedestrians, even if it causes no harm at all." [Ihya Ulum Al-Din/Vol.2/P.339].

The Third Manifestation: Organizing road regulations in the books of Islamic jurisprudence:

The jurists have extensively organized road regulations, leaving nothing unaddressed. They provided detailed explanations to resolve disputes among people and prevent conflicts. Anyone who studies their detailed rulings and jurisprudential foundations—especially in the chapter of reconciliation—will notice the significant attention given to the subject by the jurists. The hadith scholars also categorized sections in their compilations related to the rights of the road, as Imam Muslim did in his "Sahih" where he titled a section: "Chapter on the Right of Sitting on the Road is to Return the Greeting."

One of the reasons for their emphasis was the warning of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when he said: "Beware of sitting on the roads." They said: "We have no choice, they are our gathering places where we talk." He said: "If you must sit there, then give the road its rights." They asked: "What are the rights of the road?" He said: "Lowering the gaze, refraining from harm, returning the greeting, enjoining good, and forbidding evil." [Agreed upon].

We ask Allah, The Almighty, The Lord of The Mighty Throne, to make us among those who listen to good words and follow the best of them.

And all praise is due to Allah The Lord of The Worlds.

 

The published article reflects the opinion of its author

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the validity of the formula for sending blessings upon our master Muḥammad ﷺ: *"Allāhumma ṣalli wa sallim wa bārik ‘alā sayyidinā Muḥammad wa ‘alā ālihi, ‘adada kamāli-Llāhi wa kamā yalīqu bikamālihi"* ("O Allah, send blessings, peace, and grace upon our master Muḥammad and his family, by the number of Allah's perfection, and as befits His perfection")?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is permissible to send blessings upon our master, the Prophet ﷺ, using the formula mentioned in the question, since sending blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ is an act of devotion legislated in its basic essence, without a specific prescribed wording required outside of the formal prayer itself. It is therefore valid to perform it outside of prayer using any formula. This particular formula involves multiplying the blessings sent upon the Chosen Prophet ﷺ to the number of the perfections of Allah, the Exalted — which are limitless — so that, by Allah's permission, its reward and benefit never cease.
The meaning of "the number of Allah's perfection" is that it is without limit, making the blessings sent boundless, corresponding to His perfection, Glorified is He, which cannot be enumerated or counted. This formula is analogous to the words of our Greatest Prophet ﷺ, as related in the authentic ḥadīth narrated by Imam Muslim: the Prophet ﷺ said to Sayyidah Juwayriyyah (raḍiyallāhu ‘anhā): "Indeed, I said four phrases after you [left], three times, which, if weighed against everything you have said since this morning, would outweigh them: Subḥān Allāhi wa biḥamdihi, ‘adada khalqihi, wa riḍā nafsihi, wa zinata ‘arshihi, wa midāda kalimātihi" (Glory be to Allah, and praise be to Him, by the number of His creation, by His pleasure, by the weight of His Throne, and by the extent of His words). And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

The imam recited a verse containing a prostration of recitation (*sajdat al-tilāwah*) but did not prostrate. After the imam's *salām*, a follower (*maʾmūm*) performed a prostration of forgetfulness (*sujūd al-sahw*) because the imam had not performed the prostration of recitation. Is it permissible to go against the imam in this way?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
There is no sin on the imam if he omits the prostration of recitation (sujūd al-tilāwah), even deliberately. The maʾmūm (the one following the imam) is obliged to follow the imam in the prayer, so if the imam does not perform the prostration of recitation, it is not permissible for the follower to prostrate, because the imam is appointed only to be followed.
If the follower introduces a prostration after the imam’s salām but before his own salām, in a case where there is no prostration of forgetfulness (sujūd al-sahw), his prayer is invalidated if he knew it to be prohibited. Otherwise, he is excused on account of his ignorance and his prayer is not invalidated.
It is stated in Ḥāshiyat al-Imām al-Jamal ʿalā Fatḥ al-Wahhāb: “His statement: ‘So the omission of the hayʾāt (the non-essential sunnahs of the prayer) is not compensated for by prostration; if one prostrates for any of them deliberately, his prayer is invalidated, unless he is excused due to his ignorance.’”
Since this issue is one that is hidden from the laymen, as it is among the subtleties of knowledge, and the laymen are excused for ignorance of whatever is of such a nature, and their act of obedience is not invalidated because of it, it may be said that the prayer of one who has not acquired knowledge of this issue is not invalidated, with the necessity of learning the rulings remaining. As for after knowing it, the prayer is invalidated. And Allah Almighty knows best.

Is it permissible to offer mandatory prayer while sitting?

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds, and may His Peace and Blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all of his family and companions.                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Standing up is a pillar in the mandatory prayer and the prayer is not valid without it unless one cannot do it. As for Nafila (supererogatory prayer), one can perform it in the state of sitting even if he/she can stand, but his/her reward is half the reward of the person who prays while standing if he/sh has no legal excuse for such an act. And Allah Knows Best.

What is the ruling on offering a sheep as a sacrifice (Udhiyah) if its fat-tail is sound, except that when it was young, the tip of its fat-tail was cut so that it would grow larger? And what is the ruling in case of doubt regarding the amount that was cut?

 
In the Name of Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Cutting a minor, insignificant portion from the tip of an animal's fat-tail (al-alyah) to encourage it to grow larger is not considered a defect, and it does not prevent the animal from being valid for sacrifice (Udhiyah).
 
It is stated in Tuhfat al-Muhtaj (Vol.9/P.352): "There is some scholarly deliberation regarding the common practice of cutting the tip of the fat-tail so that it grows larger. It could potentially be likened to a partial cut of the ear—supported by the jurists' general rule: 'even if it is a small amount.' On the other hand, if it is an exceptionally minor cut, it might have no effect on validity. This is explicitly clarified by the juristic exception to the general rule, which states that cutting a tiny piece from a large limb causes no harm. This latter view is more well-founded.
 
Furthermore, I found that some scholars investigated this matter and concluded: 'It should not affect validity if a custom-sanctioned portion of its fat-tail is removed during its youth to make it grow larger and look better, just as castrating a male animal causes no harm.' However, applying this unconditionally contradicts the established texts of the jurists, as understood from what I have laid out; thus, the restriction I specified is what must be relied upon."
 
Similarly, it is mentioned in Nihayat al-Muhtaj (8/135): "If a small piece is cut from the fat-tail to help it grow larger, the most well-founded view is that the sacrifice remains valid, as was given in a formal legal verdict (Fatwa) by my father [Shihab al-Din al-Ramli], may Allah be pleased with him. This is proven by the jurists' maxim: 'The loss of a tiny piece from a large limb causes no harm.'"
 
In cases where there is doubt as to whether the portion cut was large or small, the animal is still deemed valid for sacrifice. It is noted in Hashiyat al-Shubramallisi ‘ala Nihayat al-Muhtaj (Vol.8/P.135):
 
"This matter requires careful consideration, but the closer and more correct view is that it is valid. This is because soundness is the default state for the animal from which the piece was cut, and it aligns with what usually occurs—namely, that the part removed to help the fat-tail grow larger is naturally very small." And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.

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