Explanation of Riyad al-Salihin-87a
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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 prohibition of leaving fire in the house when sleeping and the like"
It was narrated from Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1813Sahih (Darussalam) Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim
And it was narrated from Abu Musa al-A'shari (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim
And from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), who said:Mishkat al-Masabih 4294, 4295, 4296, 4297, 4298 Narrated by Muslim "
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The author, may Allah have mercy on him, said in his book *Riyad al-Salihin*: "Chapter on the prohibition of leaving fire and the like in the house when sleeping and the like"
This is because fire, as described by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) in these hadiths, is an enemy, an enemy to man. If a person leaves it and goes to sleep, the mice—meaning the small rodents—may nibble at it, and then it may catch fire, as was the case in the past. Lamps were lit with fire in the early times, using oil, olive oil, and the like. Then they came to be lit with kerosene, and all of these are liquid substances. If a mouse comes and plays with it, the contents of the lamp spill onto the ground, and then the fire catches and a fire breaks out. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) commanded the extinguishing of fire when sleeping so that this fire does not occur.
But in the present time, the fuel is not what was used in the past, but rather electricity, negative and positive, which is used to light a lamp, for example. If a person sleeps and there is a lamp in his house, which they call the night light, lit, there is no harm in this, because the cause for which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) prohibited leaving a fire is not present in electricity in the present time. Yes, there are things similar to it, namely the heaters that run on a strip. These are undoubtedly dangerous, especially if a person brings them close to his bed, for he may turn over, or perhaps his cover may touch this fire and he may burn. Therefore, it is prohibited to leave these heaters and the like except in a safe place away from the bed so that a fire does not occur.
Likewise, it is recommended for a person when he sleeps to secure the door, meaning to latch it and close it.
Likewise, it is recommended when he wants to sleep to cover the vessel, even by placing a stick on it, because in that there is protection for it from Satan. And success is from Allah.
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 prohibition of leaving fire in the house when sleeping and the like"
It was narrated from Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:
Do not leave the fire (burning) in your houses when you sleep.
لا تتركوا النار في بيوتكم حين تنامونAnd it was narrated from Abu Musa al-A'shari (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said:
A house in Madinah burned down with its people inside during the night. When the matter was reported to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), he said: "Indeed, this fire is an enemy for you, so when you go to sleep, extinguish it"
احترق بيت في المدينة على أهله من الليل فلما حدث رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بشأنهم قال إن هذه النار عدو لكم فإذا نمتم فأطفؤوهاAnd from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), who said:
Cover the vessel, tie up the water-skin, shut the doors and extinguish the lamp, for the devil does not loosen a water-skin, or open a door, or uncover a vessel. If all one can do is to put a piece of wood over his vessel and mention God's name let him do so, for a mouse sets a house on fire over its inhabitants.
غطوا الإناء وأوكوا السقاء وأغلقوا الأبواب وأطفئوا السراج فإن الشيطان لا يحل سقاء ولا يفتح بابا ولا يكشف إناء فإن لم يجد أحدكم إلا أن يعرض على إنائه عودا ويذكر اسم الله فليفعل فإن الفويسقة تضرم على أهل البيت بيوتهمThe Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The author, may Allah have mercy on him, said in his book *Riyad al-Salihin*: "Chapter on the prohibition of leaving fire and the like in the house when sleeping and the like"
This is because fire, as described by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) in these hadiths, is an enemy, an enemy to man. If a person leaves it and goes to sleep, the mice—meaning the small rodents—may nibble at it, and then it may catch fire, as was the case in the past. Lamps were lit with fire in the early times, using oil, olive oil, and the like. Then they came to be lit with kerosene, and all of these are liquid substances. If a mouse comes and plays with it, the contents of the lamp spill onto the ground, and then the fire catches and a fire breaks out. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) commanded the extinguishing of fire when sleeping so that this fire does not occur.
But in the present time, the fuel is not what was used in the past, but rather electricity, negative and positive, which is used to light a lamp, for example. If a person sleeps and there is a lamp in his house, which they call the night light, lit, there is no harm in this, because the cause for which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) prohibited leaving a fire is not present in electricity in the present time. Yes, there are things similar to it, namely the heaters that run on a strip. These are undoubtedly dangerous, especially if a person brings them close to his bed, for he may turn over, or perhaps his cover may touch this fire and he may burn. Therefore, it is prohibited to leave these heaters and the like except in a safe place away from the bed so that a fire does not occur.
Likewise, it is recommended for a person when he sleeps to secure the door, meaning to latch it and close it.
Likewise, it is recommended when he wants to sleep to cover the vessel, even by placing a stick on it, because in that there is protection for it from Satan. And success is from Allah.