When the network drops or the map shows a wrong turn, people still have to ask whoever is next to them, and are often met with an annoyed look or a wrong gesture. In a piece in Prothom Alo, Muhammad Tajammul Haque shows from the hadith how much weight Islam gives this small act.
Sahih al-Bukhari (hadith 2465) records an exchange between the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions about sitting on the road. When he warned against it they said they had no choice, and he told them to give the road its due: lower the gaze, do no harm, return greetings, enjoin good and forbid wrong. A similar narration in Sunan Abu Dawud (hadith 4816) adds guiding those who have lost their way.
Bringing the narrations together, Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani lists 14 courtesies of the road in Fath al-Bari, among them helping those in trouble, helping carry heavy loads and showing the way.
Charity is not only money. A narration in Sunan al-Tirmidhi (hadith 1956) counts as sadaqah smiling at your brother, guiding someone who is lost, helping a person of weak sight, and clearing stones and thorns from the road.
There is a warning too. A narration in Al-Adab al-Mufrad (hadith 892) condemns leading a blind person off the path. The writer notes that although its direct subject is the blind, scholars draw from it that knowingly misleading anyone who asks for help is a grave wrong. If you do not know, honesty is to say "I do not know".
Many people know Islam through how Muslims behave, the writer says. Giving directions costs nothing but a few moments and a little goodwill, and that small habit builds a sense of safety among strangers.
Source: Prothom Alo
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