The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) cursed the one who travels alone in the wilderness. We ask you to clarify this hadith and whether it is authentic.
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The questioner : May Allah preserve you, the honorable Shaykh. In the hadith, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) cursed...
The Shaykh : May Allah send prayers and peace upon him.
The questioner : The one who travels alone in the wilderness. We ask your excellence to clarify the meaning of this hadith? And is it authentic?
The Shaykh : It has been reported that there is a prohibition against a person traveling alone because he exposes himself to danger and calamity. He may be attacked and find no one to help him, or he may fall ill and need a caregiver, or he may die and need someone to wash him, shroud him, pray over him, and bury him. Therefore, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited a man from traveling alone. However, in our present era, if a person drives his car alone and travels on a well-trodden road, such as the road from Madinah to Makkah, for example, then the prohibition does not apply to him. This is because these roads have become, praise be to Allah, such that a person is like one in a city; he still sees cars going and coming, so it is as if he is in a city, and thus the prohibition against traveling alone does not apply to him. As for the hadith that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) cursed the one who travels alone in the wilderness, I do not know about its authenticity.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh. The questioner says, in this question...
The Shaykh : May Allah send prayers and peace upon him.
The questioner : The one who travels alone in the wilderness. We ask your excellence to clarify the meaning of this hadith? And is it authentic?
The Shaykh : It has been reported that there is a prohibition against a person traveling alone because he exposes himself to danger and calamity. He may be attacked and find no one to help him, or he may fall ill and need a caregiver, or he may die and need someone to wash him, shroud him, pray over him, and bury him. Therefore, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited a man from traveling alone. However, in our present era, if a person drives his car alone and travels on a well-trodden road, such as the road from Madinah to Makkah, for example, then the prohibition does not apply to him. This is because these roads have become, praise be to Allah, such that a person is like one in a city; he still sees cars going and coming, so it is as if he is in a city, and thus the prohibition against traveling alone does not apply to him. As for the hadith that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) cursed the one who travels alone in the wilderness, I do not know about its authenticity.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh. The questioner says, in this question...