Advice to Those Who Recklessly Drive Cars

The Shaykh:
May Allah greet you and bless you.

The questioner:
We begin with a message from this questioner. He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah preserve you, my brother and his children died as a result of an accident caused by a reckless driver who was driving at a crazy speed exceeding one hundred and fifty. I ask the Shaykh for a word of advice for those who drive their cars recklessly, whether on city streets or on highways, and what is the guidance on this matter? May Allah reward you.

The Shaykh:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. As for what follows, Allah has forbidden the killing of the souls whose killing He has forbidden without right, and He has forbidden the taking of wealth, making the sanctity of souls, the sanctity of wealth, and the sanctity of honor in the same context. Indeed, . He said this, peace and blessings be upon him, while he was in Makkah during the days of Hajj.
The driver bears a responsibility. A great responsibility to be disciplined in his driving of the car. And to guard against danger from accidents.
Because he confronts forbidden souls, wealth, and cars, and he carries forbidden souls with him, and he drives a car which is respected wealth. Also, he is responsible for his own soul. Allah, Glorious and Exalted is He, said: Therefore, drivers must fear Allah and ward off danger from themselves, from their passengers, and from the Muslims. For it is a great responsibility that they bear, and that is by avoiding speeds that exceed what is permitted, and by inspecting the car before driving it, inspecting it for defects, inspecting it for deficiencies that expose it to danger. Also, they must be skilled drivers, not in the stage of learning to drive and experimenting. They must be skilled drivers in the manner permitted by the Shari'ah and by the regulations. Also, they must not drive the car while in a state that does not allow them to drive, such as if they are sleepy, feeling tired, and unable to control the car, because it is not permissible for them to drive the car except while in a sound state, being fully awake and fully alert. So, car drivers must know this, and that they are responsible before Allah, Mighty and Majestic, for themselves first, and they are responsible for others, for the wealth they destroy in accidents. It is a great responsibility. And even if they escape responsibility in this world, they will not escape before Allah, Exalted is He, on the Day of Resurrection. And this surveillance that goes away due to bad driving, they will bear it on their necks on the Day of Resurrection. So they must be aware of that and strictly adhere to the driving and traffic regulations. Yes.

The presenter:
May Allah reward you. Honorable Shaykh