Riyadh al-Salihin (The Meadows of the Righteous) from the words of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Chapter: The Desirability of Supplication During Travel.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Three supplications are answered, there is no doubt about them:
The supplication of the oppressed, the supplication of the traveler,
and the supplication of a parent against their child."
Recorded by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi.
From the benefits of the hadith:
A warning against oppression, for its consequences are dire.
The supplication of the oppressed is answered, even if they are a disbeliever.
Encouragement for the traveler to supplicate, due to the response they receive.
Encouragement for parents not to be hasty in supplicating against their children or their wealth.
Rather, one should supplicate for them for goodness, success, and guidance.
Chapter: What one should say when fearing a group of people or others.
On the authority of Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, may Allah be pleased with him:
That the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
when he feared a group of people, would say:
"O Allah, we place You in their throats (to ward off their evil),
and we seek refuge in You from their evils."
Recorded by Abu Dawud and al-Nasa'i.
From the benefits of the hadith:
Protection from enemies and victory over them can only be achieved through the help and support of Allah.
It is appropriate to seek refuge in Allah from the evil of enemies,
and not to wish to encounter them.
If a servant is afflicted, it is their duty to be patient.
Chapter: What one should say when stopping at a place.
On the authority of Khawlah bint Hakim, may Allah be pleased with her, who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
"Whoever stops at a place and then says:
'I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil of what He has created,'
nothing will harm them until they depart from that place."
Recorded by Muslim.
From the benefits of the hadith:
A servant should turn to Allah the Exalted,
so that He may avert every evil from them during their stay.
Turning to Allah the Exalted,
and seeking refuge in His words from every evil,
is a permissible act.
This hadith is strong evidence that the speech of Allah the Exalted is not created,
because it is not permissible to seek refuge in a created thing.
Whoever says this supplication with certainty,
no evil will approach them in that place until they depart.
This is a response from Allah the Exalted to their turning to Him.
And on the authority of Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:
When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, traveled and night approached, he would say:
"O earth, my Lord and your Lord is Allah.
I seek refuge in Allah from your evil, the evil of what is within you, the evil of what was created within you, and the evil of what crawls upon you.
I seek refuge in Allah from the evil of lions and black snakes, and from the viper and the scorpion,
and from the inhabitants of the land, and from the parent and what they begot."
Recorded by Abu Dawud.
"The black ones" refers to people.
Al-Khattabi said: "The inhabitants of the land" are the jinn who dwell on the earth.
He said: "The land" refers to any part of the earth that serves as a shelter for living creatures, even if there are no buildings or dwellings there.
He said: It is possible that "the parent" refers to Iblis, and "what they begot" refers to the devils.
Chapter: The Desirability of a Traveler Hastening to Return to Their Family After Completing Their Need.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him:
That the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Travel is a piece of torment;
it prevents one of you from their food, drink, and sleep.
So when one of you has fulfilled their purpose from their travel,
let them hasten to their family."
Agreed upon.
"Their purpose" (nuhmatahu):
Their objective.
"It prevents one of you from their food, drink, and sleep":
Meaning, it prevents them from the completeness and enjoyment thereof.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The dislike of being away from family without a need.
The desirability of hastening to return,
especially for those who fear their family might be neglected in their absence.
Staying at home provides rest that helps one in their religious and worldly affairs.
Chapter: The Desirability of Arriving to One's Family During the Day.
And the dislike of doing so at night without a need.
On the authority of Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him:
That the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"If one of you has been away for a long time,
let them not knock on their family's door at night."
In another narration:
That the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
forbade a man from knocking on his family's door at night.
Agreed upon.
"Let them not knock" (la yatruqan):
Meaning, let none of you come to your family at night.
Everyone who arrives at night is a "tariq" (night-visitor).
From the benefits of the hadith:
The dislike of approaching one's wife when she is not prepared,
so that one does not see something that might cause aversion.
This is derived from the reasoning provided for the prohibition,
which is his saying:
"So that the disheveled woman may comb her hair and the woman whose husband is away may remove her body hair."
The prohibition against a traveler arriving to their family unexpectedly,
without prior notification of their arrival.
The desirability for a woman to adorn herself for her husband and prepare,
so that affection and love may endure between them.
A woman should be careful that her husband does not see anything from her that he dislikes.
Encouragement to avoid situations that cause suspicion regarding a Muslim.
And on the authority of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, would not knock on his family's door at night.
He would come to them in the morning or in the evening. Agreed upon.
"Al-Turuq" is arriving at night.
"Al-Ghudwah" is the beginning of the day.
"Al-'Ashiyyah" is the end of the day.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The prohibition against coming to one's family in a state of negligence or unexpectedly,
especially at night.
It is recommended for the traveler to return to their family during the day.
Chapter: What one should say when returning and when seeing their town.
This includes the aforementioned hadith of Ibn 'Umar,
in the chapter on the traveler saying "Allahu Akbar" when ascending hills.
And on the authority of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
We returned with the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
until, when we were on the outskirts of Medina, he said:
"We are returning, repenting, worshipping,
and to our Lord, we are praising."
He kept saying that until we arrived in Medina.
Recorded by Muslim.
From the benefits of the hadith:
A Muslim should, upon seeing their town after Allah has brought them back safely,
thank Him and mention His grace.
And they should not forget Him upon seeing family and loved ones.
Returning safely is a grace from Allah the Exalted upon His servants.
Entering the town while seeking forgiveness for the sins the servant may have committed during their travel,
so that they may enter their home purified of sins,
and not cause their family misfortune due to their sins,
because sins cause punishment.
Emphasis on consistency in worship and complete submission to Allah the Exalted,
because He is the One who bestows blessings upon us,
and He alone is worthy of praise, none other.
A servant should always recognize Allah in times of ease and hardship.
And let the servant know that whoever recognizes Allah in times of ease,
Allah will recognize them in times of hardship.
Chapter: The Desirability of the Returning Traveler Starting with the Mosque in Their Neighborhood,
and praying two rak'ahs in it.
On the authority of Ka'b ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him:
That the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
when he returned from a journey,
would start with the mosque and pray two rak'ahs in it.
Agreed upon.
Chapter: The Prohibition of a Woman Traveling Alone.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"It is not permissible for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day
to travel for the distance of a day and a night
except with a mahram (unmarriageable kin) accompanying her."
Agreed upon.
"Mahram" means someone whom it is not permissible for her to marry.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The clear prohibition against a woman traveling without a mahram.
Various narrations have been reported regarding the definition of the distance.
In one narration, it is "more than three days."
In another, "two days."
In a third, "a journey of a day."
In one narration, "a journey of a day and a night."
In one narration, "do not travel for a barid (a specific distance)."
These narrations differ due to the different questioners
and the different circumstances.
There is no contradiction or conflict between them.
The conclusion is that whatever is considered travel,
a woman is prohibited from it without a husband or a mahram.
Some scholars excepted the travel for Hajj,
but this is a weak exception with no evidence to support it.
It is not permissible for two women to travel without a husband or a mahram,
except for one who is fleeing with her religion from the land of disbelief to the land of Islam.
The mahram is the one who is permitted to look at her and be in seclusion with her,
and he is the one whom it is permanently forbidden for her to marry,
due to a permissible reason for her sanctity.
Among the reprehensible innovations and disgusting acts
known to some ignorant commoners,
those who cast aside the law of Islam,
and those who abandon following the Master of Mankind, upon him be the best of prayers and most perfect peace,
is the fraternizing of unrelated women and being in seclusion with them.
And on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both:
That he heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
"No man should be in seclusion with a woman unless there is a mahram with her,
and a woman should not travel except with a mahram."
A man said to him:
"O Messenger of Allah,
my wife has gone out for Hajj,
and you have written me down for such-and-such battle."
He said: "Go and perform Hajj with your wife."
Agreed upon.
From the benefits of the hadith:
A declaration of the prohibition of being in seclusion with an unrelated woman,
due to the corruption that results from that.
Seclusion with an unrelated woman is negated by the presence of a mahram or husband.
If a woman goes out for Hajj while the road is safe, even without a mahram,
it is obligatory for her mahram or husband to join her,
and to fulfill his religious duty.
This is explicit in refuting the exception made by some scholars
regarding the permissibility of a woman performing Hajj without a mahram,
even if the road is safe or she is in the company of trustworthy women.
It is permissible for the leader to grant permission to whomever he wishes
to stay behind from the battle,
if there is a benefit that necessitates it.
Riyadh al-Salihin.