What is the meaning of the night visitation prohibited in the hadith: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited a man from visiting his family at night”?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : The day I was with you in Hama, I left at eleven o’clock and said... I wanted to arrive before sunset to see my family. Do you remember this?
The Shaykh : You left at eleven o’clock?
The questioner : We traveled to Hama. You, you were asked about the reason, and we told you to stay with us for lunch or something like that. You said: I will arrive before sunset so that...
The Shaykh : Yes, yes, so as not to visit at night.
The questioner : Yes, so as not to visit at night.
Another questioner : ... .
The questioner : If you permit, O scholars, the hadith says:Riyad as-Salihin 985. Can you give us your perspective? We want to understand... the meaning of night visitation.
The Shaykh : Night visitation is when a traveler comes to his family at night.
The questioner : If you permit me a moment.
Another questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited a man from visiting his family at night”; this means that if a man is traveling, it is not permissible in the Shari'ah for him to come to them at night. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he was traveling and could not enter the city before the sun set, would delay outside the city until morning, and then he would come to his family; this was so that he would avoid visiting his family at night. Today, Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has created for all people means by which He has facilitated many matters that were previously difficult or hard, and the people most deserving of benefiting from these means are the Muslims. So, I am a man in Aleppo, and I want to travel today—for example—to Damascus. It is obligatory for me to utilize the possible means so that my travel brings me to Damascus before night.
-- And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah and His blessings --
This is so that I do not surprise my family with my arrival while they are in a state of sleep, a state that a man does not like, and so on. If a Muslim is compelled to delay, and he may indeed be compelled, and he cannot come to his family except at night, then he is able to send word, either through an intermediary person if possible, or by telephone if it is available. If that is not available to him, it is better for him not to visit his family at night. Therefore, in our last trip, we were with Professor Abu Rida, and I pointed out that I was compelled to leave early so that night would not catch me in Damascus, but rather before night. And all of this is derived from his (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibition of a man visiting his family at night. This is regarding the traveler.
The questioner : When does the time of night begin?
The Shaykh : At the setting of the sun, as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Riyad as-Salihin 1236, and He (the Exalted) said: [Al-Baqarah 2:187].
The questioner : So...
The Shaykh : The setting of the sun, yes, yes.
The questioner : He said:Sunan Abi Dawud 2778Sahih (Al-Albani). They were in a military expedition... and they arrived after Dhuhr or after 'Asr, or; meaning, during the day. So he said to them: Wait, and he camped beside the city and said: , no, at night; meaning: in the evening or at 'Isha' or a word like that.
The Shaykh : In the evening.
The questioner : So what does "enter at night" mean? It means that if he arrives from Maghrib to near 'Isha', this is not considered night; because the darkness does not settle over the earth, the beginning of the darkness is from 'Isha' or just before 'Isha'.
The Shaykh : Can you look at the text of the hadith to see if it says "in the evening" or what?
The questioner : ... Here, Professor.
Another questioner : Is there a hadith that two of the Companions defied the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and came to their families at night, and they found with them...
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : Ibn Khuzaymah narrated it, and it was added in "Fath al-Bari", so that the research is complete for you.
...
The Shaykh : They defied the hadith, these two Companions defied the hadith, so they were punished by finding strange men with their families.
Yes?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : It does not necessarily have to be... zina, the important thing is the preliminaries, or the important thing is that in the man's house, each of the two men had a strange man.
The questioner : So this was a punishment for them?
Eid Abbasi : Sometimes... he talks to his family, and he suspects them, so he comes...
The Shaykh : It is not permissible for him, it is not permissible, this is among the objectives of keeping away from such an act.
Eid Abbasi : If he is not a traveler...
The Shaykh : Yes?
Eid Abbasi : If he is not a traveler, there is no problem...
The questioner: Our Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Go ahead.
The Shaykh : You left at eleven o’clock?
The questioner : We traveled to Hama. You, you were asked about the reason, and we told you to stay with us for lunch or something like that. You said: I will arrive before sunset so that...
The Shaykh : Yes, yes, so as not to visit at night.
The questioner : Yes, so as not to visit at night.
Another questioner : ... .
The questioner : If you permit, O scholars, the hadith says:
When one of you stays away (from his family) for a long period of time
إذا أطالَ أحدكم الغيبةThe Shaykh : Night visitation is when a traveler comes to his family at night.
The questioner : If you permit me a moment.
Another questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited a man from visiting his family at night”; this means that if a man is traveling, it is not permissible in the Shari'ah for him to come to them at night. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he was traveling and could not enter the city before the sun set, would delay outside the city until morning, and then he would come to his family; this was so that he would avoid visiting his family at night. Today, Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has created for all people means by which He has facilitated many matters that were previously difficult or hard, and the people most deserving of benefiting from these means are the Muslims. So, I am a man in Aleppo, and I want to travel today—for example—to Damascus. It is obligatory for me to utilize the possible means so that my travel brings me to Damascus before night.
-- And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah and His blessings --
This is so that I do not surprise my family with my arrival while they are in a state of sleep, a state that a man does not like, and so on. If a Muslim is compelled to delay, and he may indeed be compelled, and he cannot come to his family except at night, then he is able to send word, either through an intermediary person if possible, or by telephone if it is available. If that is not available to him, it is better for him not to visit his family at night. Therefore, in our last trip, we were with Professor Abu Rida, and I pointed out that I was compelled to leave early so that night would not catch me in Damascus, but rather before night. And all of this is derived from his (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibition of a man visiting his family at night. This is regarding the traveler.
The questioner : When does the time of night begin?
The Shaykh : At the setting of the sun, as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
When the night approaches from this side (i.e., the east) and the day retreats from that side (i.e., west) and the sun sets, then it is time for a person observing Saum (fasting) to break his fast.
إذا أقبل الليل من ههنا ، وأدبر النهار من ههنا ، وغربت الشمس ؛ فقد أفطر الصائمThen complete the fast until the sunset
ثُمَّ أَتِمُّوا الصِّيَامَ إِلَى اللَّيْلِThe questioner : So...
The Shaykh : The setting of the sun, yes, yes.
The questioner : He said:
Stay till we enter during the night
أمهلوا حتى ندخل ليلًا أو عشاءWait until we enter at night or in the evening or at 'Isha'
أمهلوا حتى ندخل ليلًا أو عشية أو عشاءThe Shaykh : In the evening.
The questioner : So what does "enter at night" mean? It means that if he arrives from Maghrib to near 'Isha', this is not considered night; because the darkness does not settle over the earth, the beginning of the darkness is from 'Isha' or just before 'Isha'.
The Shaykh : Can you look at the text of the hadith to see if it says "in the evening" or what?
The questioner : ... Here, Professor.
Another questioner : Is there a hadith that two of the Companions defied the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and came to their families at night, and they found with them...
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : Ibn Khuzaymah narrated it, and it was added in "Fath al-Bari", so that the research is complete for you.
...
The Shaykh : They defied the hadith, these two Companions defied the hadith, so they were punished by finding strange men with their families.
Yes?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : It does not necessarily have to be... zina, the important thing is the preliminaries, or the important thing is that in the man's house, each of the two men had a strange man.
The questioner : So this was a punishment for them?
Eid Abbasi : Sometimes... he talks to his family, and he suspects them, so he comes...
The Shaykh : It is not permissible for him, it is not permissible, this is among the objectives of keeping away from such an act.
Eid Abbasi : If he is not a traveler...
The Shaykh : Yes?
Eid Abbasi : If he is not a traveler, there is no problem...
The questioner: Our Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Go ahead.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.