Chapter on the recommendation of going to the festival, visiting the sick, performing Hajj, going on military expeditions, and attending funerals by one route, and returning by another

The reader: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Chapter on the recommendation of going to the festival, visiting the sick, performing Hajj, going on military expeditions, and attending funerals by one route, and returning by another, in order to increase the places of worship. Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to take a different route on the day of the festival.' Al-Bukhari narrated it. And from Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to go out by the route of al-Shajarah and enter by the route of al-Ma'ris, and when he entered Makkah, he would enter from the upper slope and exit from the lower slope. Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim".

The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his book *Riyad al-Salihin*: "Chapter on the recommendation of taking a different route on the day of the festival, Jumu'ah, and other acts of worship. The meaning of taking a different route is that one goes to the act of worship by one route and returns by the other. For example, one should go out from the right side and return from the left side. This is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) regarding the two festivals, as narrated by Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him): 'The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to take a different route when he prayed the two festivals',' meaning: he went out by one route and returned by another. The scholars differed regarding why the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did this. It was said: so that the two routes would testify for him on the Day of Resurrection, because the earth testifies on the Day of Resurrection to what was done upon it of good and evil, as Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) said: . On the Day of Resurrection, the earth will testify that so-and-so did such and such, and did such and such, and did such and such. So if one goes out by one route and returns by another, the two routes will testify for him on the Day of Resurrection that he performed the festival prayer. It was also said: it is to display the symbol of the festival, the symbol of the festival, so that the markets become crowded, this one and that one. It is known that people do not all go out by one route and return by another; you will find this person going out by this route, and this one by that route, and this one by this route. So when the people are dispersed in the routes of the city, this serves to display this symbol, because the festival prayer is among the symbols of the religion. The evidence for this is that people are commanded to go out to the open areas to display and announce this. Some of them said: he only took a different route for the sake of the poor who are in the markets; there may be in this route what is not in that route, so he gives charity to these and those. But the closest view, and Allah knows best, is that it is to display the symbol, so that the symbol of the festival prayer and going out to it appears in all the streets of the town. Then the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) differed on whether Jumu'ah prayer is included in this? Because Jumu'ah prayer is a festival prayer, so it is attached to the two festival prayers; one comes to Jumu'ah by one route and returns by another. Then some scholars expanded and said: it is prescribed to do this also in the five daily prayers. For example, one comes to the Zuhr prayer by one route and returns by another, and so on for the 'Asr prayer and the remaining prayers. They said: because all of this is attending the prayer, so it is analogized to the festival prayer. Others expanded further and said: taking a different route is prescribed in everything of worship; for every act of worship you go to, go to it by one route and return by another. Even visiting the sick: if you visit a sick person, go to him by one route and return by another. And likewise, if you accompany a funeral, go by one route and return by another. All these three analogies are weak: the analogy of Jumu'ah prayer to the festivals, the analogy of the remaining prayers to the festivals, and the analogy of walking for worship to the festivals. This is because there is no analogy in acts of worship, and because these things existed in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). In his time, there was Jumu'ah, the five daily prayers, visiting the sick, and accompanying funerals, and it is not recorded that he (peace and blessings be upon him) took a different route in these. And when something exists in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and he did not establish anything regarding it, the Sunnah is to leave it. As for Hajj, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) took a different route in his entry into Makkah; he entered from the top and exited from the bottom. And likewise in his going to 'Arafah, he went by one route and returned by another. The scholars also differed on this issue: did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) do this as an act of worship, or because it was easier for his entry and exit? It was easier for his entry to enter from the top and for his exit to exit from the bottom. Some of the scholars said the first, and said that it is a Sunnah to enter from the top, meaning the top of Makkah, and exit from the bottom, and that it is a Sunnah to come to 'Arafah by one route and return by another. And some of them said: rather, this is according to the ease of the route, so take the easier one, whether from the top or from the bottom. In any case, if it is easy for you to enter from the top and exit from the bottom, that is good. If that is an act of worship, you have attained it; and if it is not an act of worship, there is no harm for you in it. And if it is not easy, as is the reality in our current time, where the roads have been directed in one way and it is not possible for a person to take a different route, then the matter, praise be to Allah, is broad. And Allah grants success.