Ruling on Running a Red Light
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
2- Adhering to traffic regulations :
Q1: What is the ruling on deliberately running a red light, knowing that this results in terrible accidents in which lives are lost and families are torn apart? And does the one who runs a red light commit a sin if he is fully certain that no harm will result, according to the driver's own assessment?
A1: Traffic regulations are among the systems issued by the one in authority to achieve the public interest, protecting lives and property from the mischief of the mischievous and the recklessness of the reckless. The systems issued by those in authority must be applied and adhered to, provided they do not contradict the Shari'ah. The traffic regulations explicitly prohibit running a red light and stipulate a penalty for doing so. Based on the foregoing, deliberately running a red light is forbidden, and the one who does it commits a sin; because the perpetrator has contradicted what is commanded by the Shari'ah, and has exposed himself and others to great danger, as this may lead to his own death, the death of another, or the destruction of his property or the property of others, as is witnessed in many accidents. The one who runs a red light commits a sin even if he is certain that no harm will result from doing so, for the following reasons: First: It is a clear violation of the traffic regulations, which must be adhered to by the Shari'ah, as explained above. Second: Running the light makes him a bad example for others, who will imitate him and follow his path, whereas the Muslim is commanded to be a good example for others, guiding them to good and helping them in it. Third: His assessment that there is no harm in running the light may be a limited assessment, as many incidents have confirmed. Most of those who were involved in accidents due to running a red light were firmly convinced that nothing would happen to them
because of running the light, only to be surprised by the opposite of what they had imagined.
Q1: What is the ruling on deliberately running a red light, knowing that this results in terrible accidents in which lives are lost and families are torn apart? And does the one who runs a red light commit a sin if he is fully certain that no harm will result, according to the driver's own assessment?
A1: Traffic regulations are among the systems issued by the one in authority to achieve the public interest, protecting lives and property from the mischief of the mischievous and the recklessness of the reckless. The systems issued by those in authority must be applied and adhered to, provided they do not contradict the Shari'ah. The traffic regulations explicitly prohibit running a red light and stipulate a penalty for doing so. Based on the foregoing, deliberately running a red light is forbidden, and the one who does it commits a sin; because the perpetrator has contradicted what is commanded by the Shari'ah, and has exposed himself and others to great danger, as this may lead to his own death, the death of another, or the destruction of his property or the property of others, as is witnessed in many accidents. The one who runs a red light commits a sin even if he is certain that no harm will result from doing so, for the following reasons: First: It is a clear violation of the traffic regulations, which must be adhered to by the Shari'ah, as explained above. Second: Running the light makes him a bad example for others, who will imitate him and follow his path, whereas the Muslim is commanded to be a good example for others, guiding them to good and helping them in it. Third: His assessment that there is no harm in running the light may be a limited assessment, as many incidents have confirmed. Most of those who were involved in accidents due to running a red light were firmly convinced that nothing would happen to them
because of running the light, only to be surprised by the opposite of what they had imagined.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.