Explanation of the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him): (A man passed by thorns on the road and said, "I will remove these thorns so that they do not harm a Muslim man," and he was forgiven.)

The Shaykh : Then he cited another hadith as an example of removing harm from the road. He narrated with his authentic chain from Abu Hurayrah from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) who said: .
This is a hadith about an event that took place, and it appears that it occurred before the Messenger (peace be upon him). A righteous man passed by thorns on the road and said, "I will remove these thorns; I will clear them from the road, fearing that someone passing by might be harmed by them." His reward from Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) was that He forgave him. This is among the virtues of removing harm from the road: this man, simply by removing the thorns from the road with the intention of preventing harm to the Muslims, became deserving of the forgiveness of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) because of that. From this hadith and its like, we derive an important benefit: the worship and nearness of a Muslim to Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) are not limited to performing what Allah has made obligatory in terms of worship, or what He has legislated and recommended in terms of obedience. Rather, there are matters related to social conditions with which the Muslim has a connection, through which he earns the pleasure and forgiveness of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), and these are not among the clear, explicit acts of worship. Here is an example: a man, simply by removing thorns from the road, became deserving of the forgiveness and mercy of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). Removing thorns from the road is not something that immediately comes to mind as an act of worship or righteousness, but Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), who has gathered in this Islam all virtues and all excellences, has made it among the acts of worship through which a Muslim earns the forgiveness of Allah to remove harm from the road. Accordingly, if a Muslim leaves his home to go to his shop, his factory, or his job, and then returns, having only performed the midday prayer, for example, he is still able, in his going and coming, and in his staying in his shop or factory, to obtain much of the worship for which he becomes deserving of the forgiveness of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). Who among us, for example, does not stumble on a banana peel on the road, and does not assume that a person, especially a small child, if he steps on this peel, will slip? If he removes it from the road to the side of the sidewalk, he becomes deserving of the forgiveness of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) with this simple action, let alone if he sees a porter who needs help, whose animal has stumbled and cannot get up; he lightens its load, helps it stand, and rescues it from its stumble. All these actions are considered acts of worship in the view of Islam. It is not only prayer and charity that are acts of worship, but as we have mentioned in previous lessons: And some of these charities are such that one becomes deserving of the forgiveness of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) for them, even if, as they say today, they are insignificant. The thorns that that man removed from the road, and Allah forgave him for that. And as came in some authentic hadiths, that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) forgave a prostitute; because she was walking on the road and was struck by thirst, so she descended into a well and drank from it. When she climbed up to the surface of the earth, she saw a dog eating the earth from thirst, meaning the dirt. She said to herself, "This dog has been struck by the same thirst that struck me." Then she placed her slipper in her mouth, descended to the well, filled it, and then brought the remaining water in that slipper, and the dog drank until it was satisfied. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So the scope for a Muslim in his life, in his course of life, wherever he is and wherever he goes, to attain the forgiveness of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is vast and very vast. And that is from the favor of Allah upon her and upon people, but most people do not give thanks.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : My sister, this doubt arises in many matters and virtues. The answer to this is that the purpose of such hadiths is to encourage the virtues of actions. But not everyone who prays, for example, has their sins forgiven with certainty. It is not certain that everyone who removes harm from the road has their sins forgiven. Rather, it is not certain that everyone who performs Hajj to the House of Allah, that Hajj about which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . Likewise, in the prayers, for example, the prayers are expiations for what is between them. These virtues are, first, to encourage the Muslim to perform these virtuous actions. Second, obtaining their reward is not a certainty for every individual among the Muslims. If not for this authentic hadith that tells us that when that man removed the thorns from the road, Allah forgave him, how would we know that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) had forgiven him? Then, if another Muslim removes thorns from the road, do you see whether Allah (Mighty and Majestic) forgave him or not? All we have is that we hope and expect from the favor of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) that He will forgive the one who removed harm from the road, or performed all those virtues for which those ranks were mentioned. We do not have certainty that whoever did such-and-such was forgiven, because to obtain forgiveness, one must do what was done with conditions, the most important of which is sincerity to Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) in what he did. And sincerity has degrees that only Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) knows. So whoever has sincerity in the desired action for which the Lawgiver has made forgiveness a consequence, he is the one who will attain forgiveness. So where do we get the idea that everyone who removes harm from the road was sincere to Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) in that? In fact, perhaps many people do what they do without even thinking of the forgiveness of Allah, as they say today, for example, "So-and-so seeks knowledge for the sake of knowledge." This, if it is said that he seeks it for money, status, and position among people, is a statement that has absolutely no value in the scale of the Shari'ah, which said: . Therefore, the basis for deserving these ranks and virtues, after the good deed, returns to sincerity in it. And sincerity is rare among people. Therefore, the Muslim considers these hadiths as motivators and incentives for him to do good deeds, and then hopes from Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) to attain such forgiveness as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned regarding some of the people who preceded us.