Hadith on Roads: Help everyone lost or in distress, even unbelievers

Umar ibn al-Khattab reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, came to us while we were sitting by the roadside. The Prophet said, “Beware of sitting in these roads, for they are the gathering places of Satan. If you must do so, then give the road its due rights.” Then the Prophet went on his way. I said to myself, “The Messenger of Allah told us to give the road its due rights, but I did not ask him what they are.” So I caught up with him and said, “O Messenger of Allah, you said such-and-such, but what are the rights of the road?” The Prophet said, “The rights of the road are that you return greetings of peace, lower your gaze, refrain from causing harm, guide the one who has lost his way, and rescue those in distress.

Source: Sharḥ Mushkil al-Āthār 165

Grade: Hasan (fair) according to Al-Arna’ut

Imam Ibn Raslan commented, “To ‘rescue the distressed’ means to help and support them, referring to those in desperate need, those who have been wronged, and those who have suffered loss. To ‘guide the lost’ means to show the way to those who cannot find the route to their destination. Included among the ‘distressed’ and the ‘lost one’ are the Muslim and the unbeliever, the seeing and the blinded. Al-Azharī and others said: The term ‘the lost one’ is only used for a living creature, whether a human being or otherwise. It includes both the free person and the slave.”

Source: Sharḥ Sunan Abī Dāwūd li-Ibn Raslān 18/501

عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ قَالَ أَتَى عَلَيْنَا رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَنَحْنُ جُلُوسٌ عَلَى الطَّرِيقِ فَقَالَ إيَّاكُمْ وَالْجُلُوسَ عَلَى هَذِهِ الطُّرُقِ فَإِنَّهَا مَجَالِسُ الشَّيْطَانِ فَإِنْ كُنْتُمْ لَا مَحَالَةَ فَأَدُّوا حَقَّ الطَّرِيقِ ثُمَّ مَضَى رَسُولُ اللهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ فَقُلْتُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ أَدُّوا حَقَّ الطَّرِيقِ وَلَمْ أَسْأَلْهُ مَا هُوَ فَلَحِقْتُهُ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ إنَّكَ قُلْتَ كَذَا وَكَذَا فَمَا حَقُّ الطَّرِيقِ قَالَ حَقُّ الطَّرِيقِ أَنْ تَرُدَّ السَّلَامَ وَتَغُضَّ الْبَصَرَ وَتَكُفَّ الْأَذَى وَتَهْدِيَ الضَّالَّ وَتُعِينَ الْمَلْهُوفَ

165 شرح مشكل الآثار باب بيان مشكل ما روي عن رسول الله عليه السلام من نهيه عن الجلوس بالصعدات ومن إباحته ذلك على الشرائط التي اشترطها في إباحته ذلك

1/154 المحدث شعيب الأرناؤوط خلاصة حكم المحدث حسن في تخريج مشكل الآثار

قال ابن رسلان وتغيثوا أي تعينوا وتنصروا الملهوف يطلق على المضطر والمظلوم والمتخسر وتهدوا أي تعرفوا من لم يهتد إلى مقصدِهِ طريقَهُ ويدخل في الملهوفِ والضالِّ المسلمُ والكافرُ والبصيرُ والأعمى قال الأزهري وغيره لا يقع الضال إلا على الحيوان إنسانًا كان أو غيره ويشمل الحر والعبد

18/501 شرح سنن أبي داود لابن رسلان كتاب الأدب باب في الجلوس في الطرقات

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Abu Amina Elias
Abu Amina Elias (Justin Parrott) is an academic librarian, researcher, and translator specializing in the Quran, Hadith, and their commentaries. He is a former instructor of Islamic Creed for Mishkah University.
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