راستے کا حق

Narrated by Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him): The Prophet ﷺ said, "Beware of sitting on the roadsides." The Companions said, "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, we have no alternative to those gatherings; we sit there and talk." The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "If you must sit there, then give the road its due." They asked, "O Messenger of Allah, what is the due of the road?" He said, "Lowering the gaze, removing harmful things from the road, returning the greeting of salaam, enjoining good and forbidding evil."

This hadith first teaches that one should avoid sitting on the roadside without need; but if there is a need, then sitting there carries certain obligations. Foremost among them is lowering the gaze and guarding the eyes, because such a place is passed by all kinds of people. And if there is any filth lying on the road, or anything that might harm those passing by — a thorn, an obstacle, or a peel on which someone could slip and fall — it should be removed from the path. To protect passers-by from harm, this also includes parking one's vehicle in a place that does not block the way of other vehicles. After this comes the instruction to return the greeting of salaam, for initiating salaam is a Sunnah while replying to it is obligatory, and whoever does not reply to a greeting is sinful. Then there is mention of enjoining good and forbidding evil, which is in fact among the duties of every Muslim, but it is mentioned here together with the rights of the road because the road is a thoroughfare through which people commonly pass; so if a person sees a wrong being done there, he should try his utmost to stop it, and along with that keep inviting people to good. For just as it is necessary to make one's own deeds subject to the Qur'an and Sunnah, it is equally important to enjoin good and forbid evil upon others. May Allah grant us all a correct understanding of the religion and the ability to act upon it (Ameen).