Understanding The Prophet's Life
From Issue: 905 [Read full issue]
Troublesome Things
There are many Prophetic sayings about the cleanliness of roads. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, tells in detail about the wideness of roads, the construction of roads, the maintenance of their cleanliness and protecting them against highwaymen.
In a hadith, God's Messenger says that a person who lifted a branch of tree from the road so that people were not disturbed and/or hurt went to Paradise because of this good deed (Muslim). In another hadith, he said: "All good and bad deeds of my Umma were shown to me. Among the good deeds was elimination of what is injurious from the thoroughfares. Among the bad deeds was the spittle on the ground that was not covered with earth" (Ibn Majah). In another hadith reported in Muslim, a man asked God's Messenger to teach him something so that he could derive benefit from it. The Prophet said: "Remove the troublesome thing from the paths of Muslims."
In the hadiths mentioned above, the word "troublesome thing" is frequently used. The Prophet did not say "stone," "thorn," "filth," etc., but he said "adha" or "troublesome thing," which comprises the meaning of all such things. This word is defined as small harm or defect in dictionaries. However, from the context it is used in Prophetic sayings we understand that it stands for anything that may annoy or harm those who pass on a road.
Compiled From:
"Cleanliness in Islam" - Remzi Kuscular