بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Assalamu Alaikum.
We come across nails, stones, safety pins, etc. on the ground all the time. Yet, how many of us have actually moved any of these things out of the way so that nobody gets hurt?
Removing harmful things from people’s paths is a really simple sunnah with lots of virtues.
1. It is a branch of iman (faith)
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم : الإِيمَانُ بِضْعٌ وَسَبْعُونَ أَوْ بِضْعٌ وَسِتُّونَ شُعْبَةً فَأَفْضَلُهَا قَوْلُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَدْنَاهَا إِمَاطَةُ الأَذَى عَنِ الطَّرِيقِ وَالْحَيَاءُ شُعْبَةٌ مِنَ الإِيمَانِ
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: Iman (faith) has over seventy branches or over sixty branches, the most excellent of which is the declaration that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and the least of which is the removal of harmful objects from the road: and modesty is the branch of faith. [Sahih Muslim, Hadeeth No. 56]
2. It is a type of sadaqah (charity)
عَنْ هَمَّامِ بْنِ مُنَبِّهٍ قَالَ هَذَا مَا حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدٍ، رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَذَكَرَ أَحَادِيثَ مِنْهَا وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم : كُلُّ سُلاَمَى مِنَ النَّاسِ عَلَيْهِ صَدَقَةٌ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ تَطْلُعُ فِيهِ الشَّمْسُ – قَالَ – تَعْدِلُ بَيْنَ الاِثْنَيْنِ صَدَقَةٌ وَتُعِينُ الرَّجُلَ فِي دَابَّتِهِ فَتَحْمِلُهُ عَلَيْهَا أَوْ تَرْفَعُ لَهُ عَلَيْهَا مَتَاعَهُ صَدَقَةٌ – قَالَ – وَالْكَلِمَةُ الطَّيِّبَةُ صَدَقَةٌ وَكُلُّ خَطْوَةٍ تَمْشِيهَا إِلَى الصَّلاَةِ صَدَقَةٌ وَتُمِيطُ الأَذَى عَنِ الطَّرِيقِ صَدَقَةٌ
Hammam ibn Munabbih reported that this is out of (those ahadith) which Abu Hurairah (radiallahu anhu) narrated to us from Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam). And he while making a mention of ahadith reported from Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said this: Sadaqah (charity) is due on every joint of a person, every day the sun rises. Administering of justice between two men is also a sadaqah. And assisting a man to ride upon his beast, or helping him load his luggage upon it, is a sadaqah; and a good word is a sadaqah; and every step that you take towards prayer is a sadaqah, and removing of harmful things from the pathway is a sadaqah. [Sahih Muslim, Hadeeth No. 2204]
3. It is a good deed
عن مُعَاوِيَة بْن قُرَّةَ قَالَ: كُنْتُ مَعَ مَعْقِلٍ الْمُزَنِيِّ، فَأَمَاطَ أَذًى عَنِ الطَّرِيقِ، فَرَأَيْتُ شَيْئًا فَبَادَرْتُهُ، فَقَالَ: مَا حَمَلَكَ عَلَى مَا صَنَعْتَ يَا ابْنَ أَخِي؟ قَالَ: رَأَيْتُكَ تَصْنَعُ شَيْئًا فَصَنَعْتُهُ، قَالَ: أَحْسَنْتَ يَا ابْنَ أَخِي، سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ: مَنْ أَمَاطَ أَذًى عَنْ طَرِيقِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ كُتِبَ لَهُ حَسَنَةٌ، وَمَنْ تُقُبِّلَتْ لَهُ حَسَنَةٌ دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ.
Muawiyah ibn Qurrah said, “I was with Maqil al-Muzani (radiallahu anhu) when he removed something harmful from the road. Then I saw something and went over to it. He asked. ‘What made you do that, nephew?’ He replied, ‘I saw you do something, so I did it.’ He said, ‘Nephew, you have done well. I heard the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam), say, “Whoever removes something harmful from the road of the Muslims has a good deed written for him. Anyone who has a good deed accepted will enter Paradise”‘”. [Adab Al-Mufrad, Hadeeth No. 593. Graded “hasan” (good) by Al-Albani.]
عَنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ :عُرِضَتْ عَلَىَّ أَعْمَالُ أُمَّتِي حَسَنُهَا وَسَيِّئُهَا فَوَجَدْتُ فِي مَحَاسِنِ أَعْمَالِهَا الأَذَى يُمَاطُ عَنِ الطَّرِيقِ وَوَجَدْتُ فِي مَسَاوِي أَعْمَالِهَا النُّخَاعَةَ تَكُونُ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ لاَ تُدْفَنُ
Abu Dharr (radiallahu anhu) reported: The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: The deeds of my people, good and bad, were presented before me, and I found the removal of harmful objects from the road among their good deeds, and the phlegm left unburied in the mosque among their evil deeds. [Sahih Muslim, Hadeeth No. 1126]
4. It benefits a person
عَنْ أَبُي بَرْزَة، قَالَ قُلْتُ يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ عَلِّمْنِي شَيْئًا أَنْتَفِعُ بِهِ قَالَ : اعْزِلِ الأَذَى عَنْ طَرِيقِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ
Abu Barza (radiallahu anhu) reported: I said: Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wasallam), teach me something so that I may benefit from it. He said: Remove harmful things from the paths of the Muslims. [Sahih Muslim, Hadeeth No. 6343]
5. It leads to forgiveness
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ : بَيْنَمَا رَجُلٌ يَمْشِي بِطَرِيقٍ، وَجَدَ غُصْنَ شَوْكٍ فَأَخَذَهُ، فَشَكَرَ اللَّهُ لَهُ، فَغَفَرَ لَهُ
Narrated Abu Hurairah (radiallahu anhu): Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said, “While a man was on the way, he found a thorny branch of a tree there on the way and removed it. Allah thanked him for that deed and forgave him.” [Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Hadeeth No. 652]
6. It helps saves one from Hell
عَنْ عَائِشَة تَقُولُ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ : إِنَّهُ خُلِقَ كُلُّ إِنْسَانٍ مِنْ بَنِي آدَمَ عَلَى سِتِّينَ وَثَلاَثِمَائَةِ مَفْصِلٍ فَمَنْ كَبَّرَ اللَّهَ وَحَمِدَ اللَّهَ وَهَلَّلَ اللَّهَ وَسَبَّحَ اللَّهَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ اللَّهَ وَعَزَلَ حَجَرًا عَنْ طَرِيقِ النَّاسِ أَوْ شَوْكَةً أَوْ عَظْمًا عَنْ طَرِيقِ النَّاسِ وَأَمَرَ بِمَعْرُوفٍ أَوْ نَهَى عَنْ مُنْكَرٍ عَدَدَ تِلْكَ السِّتِّينَ وَالثَّلاَثِمِائَةِ السُّلاَمَى فَإِنَّهُ يَمْشِي يَوْمَئِذٍ وَقَدْ زَحْزَحَ نَفْسَهُ عَنِ النَّارِ . قَالَ أَبُو تَوْبَةَ وَرُبَّمَا قَالَ : يُمْسِي .
Aishah (radiallahu anha) reported Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) as saying: Every one of the children of Adam has been created with three hundred and sixty joints; so he who declares the Glory of Allah, praises Allah, declares Allah to be One, Glorifies Allah, and seeks forgiveness from Allah, and removes stone, or thorn, or bone from people’s path, and enjoins what is good and forbids from evil, to the number of those three hundred and sixty joints, will walk that day having saved himself from the Fire. Abu Taubah said: “Perhaps he said: ‘Will reach the evening.'” [Sahih Muslim, Hadeeth No. 2199]
7. It leads one to Paradise
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم : مَرَّ رَجُلٌ بِغُصْنِ شَجَرَةٍ عَلَى ظَهْرِ طَرِيقٍ فَقَالَ وَاللَّهِ لأُنَحِّيَنَّ هَذَا عَنِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ لاَ يُؤْذِيهِمْ . فَأُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةَ
Abu Hurairah (radiallahu anhu) reported Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) as saying:A person while walking along the path saw the branches of a tree lying there. He said: By Allah, I shall remove these from this so that these may not do harm to the Muslims, and he was admitted to Paradise. [Sahih Muslim, Hadeeth No. 6340]
عَنْ أَبِي بَرْزَةَ الأَسْلَمِيِّ قَالَ: قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، دُلَّنِي عَلَى عَمَلٍ يُدْخِلُنِي الْجَنَّةَ، قَالَ: أَمِطِ الأَذَى عَنْ طَرِيقِ النَّاسِ.
Abu Barza al-Aslami (radiallahu anhu) narrated “I said, ‘Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam), show me an action by which I will enter Paradise.” He said, ‘Remove harmful things from people’s path.'” [Adab Al-Mufrad, Hadeeth No. 228. Graded “sahih” (authentic) by Al-Albani.]
So many virtues for such a little action, yet how many people do it?
Let’s all try to implement this really simple sunnah in our lives so that we can get a share of all the above mentioned virtues, in shaa Allah.