37/32. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 2121a — Rights of the Road
The Prohibition Of Sitting In The Street; And Giving The Street Its Rights
Hadith About the Rights of the Road in Islam
Sahih Muslim : 2121a
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 2121a
حَدَّثَنِي سُوَيْدُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنِي حَفْصُ بْنُ مَيْسَرَةَ، عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ، عَنْ عَطَاءِ، بْنِ يَسَارٍ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " إِيَّاكُمْ وَالْجُلُوسَ فِي الطُّرُقَاتِ " . قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَا لَنَا بُدٌّ مِنْ مَجَالِسِنَا نَتَحَدَّثُ فِيهَا . قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " فَإِذَا أَبَيْتُمْ إِلاَّ الْمَجْلِسَ فَأَعْطُوا الطَّرِيقَ حَقَّهُ " . قَالُوا وَمَا حَقُّهُ قَالَ " غَضُّ الْبَصَرِ وَكَفُّ الأَذَى وَرَدُّ السَّلاَمِ وَالأَمْرُ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَالنَّهْىُ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ " .
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri Narrated from:
Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri reported Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) as saying: Avoid sitting on the paths. They (his Companions) said: Allah's Messenger, there is no other help to it (but to sit there as we) hold our meetings and discuss matters there. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: If you have to sit at all, then fulfil the rights, of the path.They said: What are their rights? Thereupon he said: Keeping the eye downward (so that you may not stare at the women), refraining from doing some harm to the other and exchanging mutual greetings (saying as-Salamu 'Alaikum to one another) and commanding the good and forbidding the evil.
Reference : Sahih Muslim 2121aIn-book reference : Book 37, Hadith 173USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 24, Hadith 5293
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 2121a
The core topic of this Hadith is the rights of the road. Allah's Apostle صلى الله عليه وسلم first warned against sitting on paths. When the Companions explained that they needed such places for meetings and discussion, he taught them what to do if they must sit there. They had to give the path its rights: lower the gaze, refrain from harm, return greetings, command good, and forbid evil. This Hadith is very practical. It turns a public place into a space of responsibility. For searches like rights of the road hadith, lower gaze hadith, and sitting on paths in Islam, this narration teaches that public behavior matters. A Muslim should not treat streets, paths, and shared spaces as places where anything goes.
What we learn from this hadith
- Avoid sitting on paths when it is not needed.
- If sitting is necessary, the path has rights.
- Those rights include lowering the gaze and avoiding harm.
- Public gatherings should include greetings and moral responsibility.
