What is the meaning of the hadith: “The one rider is a devil, the two riders are two devils, and the three are a caravan”?
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The questioner : The hadith: Sunan Abi Dawud 2607Hasan (Al-Albani).
The Shaykh : Is your question about the hadith a hadith-related question or a fiqh question?
The questioner : It is a fiqh question.
The Shaykh : A fiqh question, yes. The hadith means that it is not permissible for a traveler to travel alone, nor to travel with only one companion, for the one rider is a devil, the two riders are two devils, and the three are a caravan. That is, if three people travel, then the journey is permissible, whereas one or two is not permissible. This hadith contains a fiqh understanding in the following manner: either it is said to be rational in meaning, or it is said to be devotional. If it is said to be rational in meaning, then this hadith is not to be taken in its absolute sense. If it is said to be devotional, then one stops at its wording, and it is not permissible to do what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not make permissible. The difference between saying that the hadith is rational in meaning and saying that it is devotional is this: if a man travels alone, for example, in his car on a well-traveled road, and he is struck by something or something happens to him, he will find someone to help him, assist him, or support him. This is unlike if he travels alone in a desert where there is no such assistance that we imagine or suppose. In that case, it is not permissible due to the presence of this cause, as understood by correct fiqh reasoning. However, if it is said that the hadith is devotional, and we do not know the wisdom or the point behind the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) naming the one rider a devil and the two riders two devils, then we say that it is not permissible to travel at all except with three or more. This is what I understand and what I remember. I mentioned it in the first volume when I published this hadith and addressed some of its fiqh. Please, Doctor.
A single rider is a devil, and a pair of riders are a pair of devils, but three are a company of riders.
الراكب شيطان والراكبان شيطانان والثلاثة ركبThe Shaykh : Is your question about the hadith a hadith-related question or a fiqh question?
The questioner : It is a fiqh question.
The Shaykh : A fiqh question, yes. The hadith means that it is not permissible for a traveler to travel alone, nor to travel with only one companion, for the one rider is a devil, the two riders are two devils, and the three are a caravan. That is, if three people travel, then the journey is permissible, whereas one or two is not permissible. This hadith contains a fiqh understanding in the following manner: either it is said to be rational in meaning, or it is said to be devotional. If it is said to be rational in meaning, then this hadith is not to be taken in its absolute sense. If it is said to be devotional, then one stops at its wording, and it is not permissible to do what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not make permissible. The difference between saying that the hadith is rational in meaning and saying that it is devotional is this: if a man travels alone, for example, in his car on a well-traveled road, and he is struck by something or something happens to him, he will find someone to help him, assist him, or support him. This is unlike if he travels alone in a desert where there is no such assistance that we imagine or suppose. In that case, it is not permissible due to the presence of this cause, as understood by correct fiqh reasoning. However, if it is said that the hadith is devotional, and we do not know the wisdom or the point behind the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) naming the one rider a devil and the two riders two devils, then we say that it is not permissible to travel at all except with three or more. This is what I understand and what I remember. I mentioned it in the first volume when I published this hadith and addressed some of its fiqh. Please, Doctor.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.