Part 52

10) It Is Recommended For Fellow Travelers To Gather Together When They Eat Stop Somewhere

In unity Allah 3 has placed strength, honor, protection, and blessings, and in disunity He 4 has placed weakness, subjugation at the hands of one’s enemies, and a removal of blessings. So if people are traveling together, they should gather in the place they stop at to spend the night, and they should also eat together; in doing so, they will achieve many blessings. Abu Tha’labah Al-Khushanee <# said, ‘When people would stop at a place, they would scatter in mountain passes and valleys, and so the Messenger of Allah #¢ said,

“Verily, that you separate in these mountain passes and “toes is from the Shaitaan (the Devil).’ Thereafter, they would never stop at a place except that they would attach themselves to one another (stay close to one another), to the degree that it was said: if a Thaub (garment or cloth) were to be spread over them, it would cover all of them.’

Blessings and an increase [in provision] - these result when people eat together. Wahshee Ibn Harb related from his father, who related from his father, that the Companions of the Messenger of Allah #% said, “O Messenger of Allah, verily, we eat but do not become filled.” He 2% said,

ccs) ro a kiln "I Related by Abu Daawood (2628), and Al-Albaanee ruled that it is authentic. Ahmad related it as well (17282).

“Then perhaps you separate from one another [when you eat].” They said, “Yes.” He 2% said, Mad oS ‘gg 3 ate al el 1928515 eeu ets \

“Then gather together upon your food and mention Allah's name over it: [as a result] you will be blessed in it (in your food).’"")

Related Issue: When people travel in a group, At-Tanaahud is recommended. At-Tanaahud is for each person from the group to give a certain amount of money to one of them, and that person is responsible for spending on all them; this way, they always eat together.

Imam Ahmad was once asked, “Which is more liked by you: for a man to eat in solitude or for him to eat with his companions?” He said, “For him to eat with his companions...” He then praised the practice of At-Tanaahud, saying, “When Al-Hasan 4 would travel, he would place his wealth along with their wealth (i.e., the wealth of his travel companions), and he would add an amount similar to that which he already gave - i.e., in secret.”

11) Sleeping During Travel

In open terrain, the traveler might find it necessary to sleep and rest from the toils of travel. In all matters, the Shariah instructs people to do what is beneficial to them for the short-term and long-term; regarding the issue in question, the Shariah instructs the traveler about where he should sleep, so that vermin and predatory animals do not harm him. Abu Hurairah # reported that the Messenger of Allah hs said,

" Related by Abu Daawood (3746), and Al-Albaanee ruled that it is Hasan; by Ahmad (15648); and by Ibn Maajah (3386).

abundance of grass), then give camels their share of the ground; and if you travel on dry, barren land (or during a dry spell), then travel quickly on them (so as to work on the strength they already have and to safely arrive at the destination or at least to fertile land). And when you stop at the end of the night to sleep or rest, then avoid the road, for at nighttime, it becomes the pathway of animals and the resting place of harmful vermin.)

An-Nawawee said, “This is one of the manners of traveling and stopping that the Prophet #% guided us to. Harmful vermin and the beasts of the earth move about at nighttime on roads, because of the smoothness of roads and because they (the beasts and vermin) pick up any food that may have fallen down on the road...So if a person rests late at night on the road, something might pass by and harm him, which is why he should avoid resting on the road during that time.”

Related Issue: Because he is away from home, traveling to strange places and experiencing fatigue - the natural concomitant of travel - the traveler will most likely find that his sleep schedule becomes disturbed. It is therefore imperative for him to take the necessary steps to make sure he wakes up for Fajr prayer. These days, it has become easy to take those steps - many means are readily available during a journey; for example, one can buy an alarm clock or ask for a wake-up call at the hotel he is staying at. Even with these means readily available, many of us don’t wake up for Fajr prayer; and even though he did not have the same means at his disposal, the Prophet # still made sure that he # and his Companions would always wake up for Fajr prayer. Abu Hurairah % said, ‘When the Messenger of Allah # was returning from the Battle of Khaibar, he continued to proceed home during the night until he became overcome by sleepiness. Then, he # stopped for the night and said to Bilal ,

") Related by Muslim (1926), Ahmad (8237), At-Tirmidhee (2858), and Abu Daawood (2569).

“Stay alert for us during the night (to stand guard and to wake the others for prayer).’"]

In another narration, Jubair Ibn Mut'im # said, “During one of his travels, the Messenger of Allah 2% said, ‘Who will stand guard for us tonight, so that we do not sleep in and miss the morning prayer (Fajr).’ Bilal 4 said, ‘1 [will stand guard]...””!

And in yet another hadith, Qataadah # said, ‘When the Prophet # would be on a journey and when he # would stop for the night, he # would lie down on his right side. And if he would stop just before the morning, he would keep his elbow erect, while he would place (rest) his head on his hand (so that he would not miss prayer by entering into a state of deep sleep).”"!

12) After Having Fulfilled The Goal Of His Journey, The Traveler Should Not Linger, But Should Instead Return Home Quickly As soon as a traveler completes the mission of his journey, it is recommended for him to hurry home and not stay longer than necessary. Abu Hurairah 4 reported that the Prophet 2 said,

“Travel is a share of torment: it prevents one of you from his food, his drink, and his sleep; so when he (one of you) fulfills his need, then let him hasten back to his family.’“)

In explaining this hadith, lon Hajr said, “The hadith implies that it is disliked for one to travel away from his family unless there is a need to do so. Furthermore, if one does travel, it is recommended for him to hurry home [as soon as he fulfills the purpose of his journey], especially if his family has no one to

"I Related by Muslim (680), Abu Daawood (435), Ibn Maajah (697), and Maalik (25).

"I Related by An-Nassaaee (624) and Ahmad (16304).

1 Related by Muslim (683) and Ahmad (22126).

“41 Related by Bukhaaree (1804), Muslim (1927), Ahmad (7184), Ibn Maajah (2882), Maalik (1835), and Ad-Daarimee (2670).

spend on them during his absence. By being a resident as opposed to a traveler, one gains the rest and comfort he needs to achieve betterment for this life and the Hereafter. Also, the resident has more strength for worship and is able to join his brothers in congregational prayer.”

13) It Is Disliked For A Traveler To Arrive Home To His Family During The Night

Jaabir Ibn ‘Abdullah # said, “The Prophet forbade a man from returning suddenly (without warning) to his family during the night.” Muslim’s narration is related with this wording from the Prophet #%: “When one of you arrives [from a journey] during the night, then he should not go suddenly to his family (without warning), so that the woman whose husband was absent can remove the hair that surrounds her private parts and comb her disheveled hair.” The following narration is also found with Muslim: “The Messenger of Allah # prohibited that a man should return suddenly (without warning) to his family during the night, being suspicious of their treachery or searching out for their mistakes.”"1]

From these narrations, it is clear that a man should not return upon a sudden to his family, so that he does not see something from them - especially from his wife - that he dislikes. AnNawawee said, “If a person has been away on a journey for a long time, it is disliked for him to return suddenly to his wife during the night. But if a man has left for only a short while and is expected to return during the night, then there is no harm in him returning during the night. This meaning is understood from the wording of one of the narrations: “If a man is absent for a long time.” Similarly, if a man is part of a large convoy or a returning army or some similar large group, if it is known that they are all arriving, and if his wife knows that he is returning with them, he may return home at any time, since the reason behind the prohibition is no longer present in his case. The point

') Related by Bukhaaree (1801) and Muslim (715).

is that a woman should be given time to prepare [and fix up her appearance], and that is achieved when she already knows that her husband is arriving.” In today’s times, a husband may return during the night and still avoid violating the prohibition by first calling his wife by telephone, informing her of his impending return.

14) When A Traveler Returns To His City, It Is Recommended For Him To Perform Two Units Of prayer In The Masjid

Upon returning from a journey, the first thing the Prophet #% would hasten to do was perform two units of prayer in the Masjid. Ka’ab Ibn Maalik -% said, ‘When the Prophet #3 would return from a journey during the morning, he # would enter the Masjid and perform two units of prayer before sitting down.” This is yet another Sunnah that has practically been abandoned. O Allah, help us to follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet #, both outwardly and inwardly. And success lies with Allah 38. Related Issue: The saying of Ka’ab #: That the Prophet # was on arrival to the city before noon...” Implies that a passenger arriving at forbidden times of prayer is not permitted to perform two units of prayer. However, this is not the case. [bn Hajar said on the authority of Al-Nawawi: This salah is meant for those arriving from travel and not “Greeting the Masjid’ though it serve the same purpose.