And prayers and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions: He said -may Allah have mercy on him-

The reader: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be 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 said -may Allah have mercy on him-: "Chapter on the recommendation of seeking a travel companion and appointing one of them as their leader, whom they obey:
From Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father), he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

Were people to know of what I know about the dangers of travelling alone, no rider would travel alone at night.

لو أن الناس يعلمون من الوحدة ما أعلم ما سار راكبٌ بليل وحده

Riyad as-Salihin 958

Narrated by al-Bukhari.
And from 'Amr ibn Shu'ayb, from his father, from his grandfather (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

A single rider is a devil, and a pair of riders are a pair of devils, but three are a company of riders.

الراكبُ شيطان، والراكبان شيطانان، والثلاثة ركب

Sunan Abi Dawud 2607Hasan (Al-Albani)

Narrated by Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, and al-Nasa'i with authentic chains, and al-Tirmidhi said: A good hadith.
And from Abu Sa'id and Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with them both), they said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

When three are on a journey, they should appoint one of them as their commander.

إذا خرج ثلاثة في سفر فليؤمروا أحدهم

Sunan Abi Dawud 2608Hasan Sahih (Al-Albani)

A good hadith, narrated by Abu Dawud with a good chain.
And from Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

The best number of companions is four, the best number in expeditions four hundred, and the best number in armies four thousand; and twelve thousand will not be overcome through smallness of numbers.

خير الصحابة أربعة ، وخير السرايا أربعمائة ، وخير الجيوش أربعة آلاف ، ولن يغلب اثنا عشرَ ألفًا من قلة

Sunan Abi Dawud 2611Sahih (Al-Albani)

Narrated by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi, and he said: A good hadith".

The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
The author said -may Allah have mercy on him- in the book *Riyad al-Saliheen*: "Chapter on the recommendation of a travel companion and appointing one of them as leader":
This chapter contains two issues:
The first issue: It is recommended for a person to have a travel companion and not to travel alone. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: : Meaning, it is never recommended for a person to travel alone, because he might fall ill, faint, or be attacked by someone, or face other dangers, and no one would be with him to defend him or report on him, or the like.
This applies to journeys where solitude is realized. As for the busy roads we have now, the bustling roads where hardly a minute passes without a car passing by, this is not included in this chapter, even if a person is alone in his car. It is not considered traveling alone, because the busy roads now, such as between al-Qasim and Riyadh, and between Riyadh and Makkah, and the like, are bustling. It is as if you are walking in the middle of the city; you do not lack cars. Always, cars are going this way and that way, so it does not fall under the prohibition. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) clarified in the hadith of 'Amr ibn Shu'ayb: This also indicates caution and warning against traveling alone, and likewise against traveling with two. Three is permissible. And as I said, this is restricted to journeys where there is no continuous traffic.
Then he mentioned the hadith of Abu Sa'id and Abu Hurayrah: : Meaning, let them appoint one of them to manage their affairs, saying: We will stop, we will walk, we will have lunch, we will have dinner, and the like. Because if they do not appoint one person, their affairs will be in chaos. Chaos over who manages the affairs, who manages their affairs. For this reason, it was said: "People do not succeed in chaos without leaders": It is necessary to have a leader who takes charge of their affairs. The apparent meaning of the hadith is that if the people accept this leader, they must obey him in matters related to the benefits of the journey. They do not disobey him because he is the leader. As for matters not related to the journey, his obedience is not obligatory, such as personal matters of the individual; his obedience is not obligatory in these. But what is related to the journey for which he was appointed as leader, his obedience is obligatory. However, this does not mean that this leader acts arbitrarily. Rather, he should be as Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) said: He should consult them in matters where the aspect of benefit is hidden, and not act arbitrarily with his opinion. As for clear matters, there is no need for consultation. And as for matters that are difficult or where the aspect of benefit and harm is equal, it is necessary to consult the companions. And success is from Allah.