Questioner:
If there is a ride, like the bus which we ride roday, and one of us stands and says: “go ahead sit”. Is there something in this?
Shaikh:
There is something.
Questioner:
And what is it?
Shaikh:
لا يقوم الرجل للرجل من مجلسه ولكن تفسحوا وتوسعوا
Do not ask someone to give up his seat in order to take it, but make accommodation wide and sit at ease
[Bukhari and Muslim]
Questioner:
Do we call this a ride or is it a sitting area?
Shaikh:
No, a sitting area. I did not mention a ride; the sitting area in the bus. In the bus he is sitting in his seat and it is a seat. I did not speak of the bus like a ride for example. I said a seat just like I did not speak of a house which is spacious, I only spoke of a seat which a guest occupies, then another person comes and he stands for him from his seat.
Questioner:
In any case, is this speech in general even if there is an old man or such and such?
Shaikh:
Yes, in general and there is no difference in that, as you heard.
Questioner:
How do we honor our elders and have mercy upon our younger ones?
Shaikh:
In what does not have an opposition in it, may Allah bless you. In what does not have an opposition to the text. For example if you find a shaded place, for example, and you sat him there. Are you not honoring him?
Questioner:
Of course.
Shaikh: Of course, however you sitting in this place, then standing for him and seating him in your seat, then this form opposes the Hadith clearly. So then we honor the elder and we know the right of our Scholar without opposing the legislated text. So like this it comes in the preceded Hadith in Saheeh Bukhari that Ibn Umar radiallahu anhumma, if (he) entered an assembly and a man stood for him, he would not sit in it. He said: He sallahu alayhi wa salam said:
لا يقوم الرجل للرجل من مجلسه ولكن تفسحوا وتوسعوا
Do not ask someone to give up his seat in order to take it, but make accommodation wide and sit at ease
[Bukhari and Muslim]
A man should not stand from his seat for another man, however they should make accommodation. Without doubt, Ibn Umar is first a Companion and a noble Scholar. So he was not pleased to sit in the place which was vacated for him. So I gave you two examples, one of them applied the Hadith which you mentioned and it is respecting the Scholar.
ليس منا من لم يرحم صغيرَنا ويوقر كبيرَنا ويعرف لعالمنا حقه
He is not one of us who does not have mercy upon our young, nor knows the honor of our elders nor knows our Scholars right
[Saheeh Jami no. 5443]
The second example is opposing the Hadith, so he does not respect the Scholar by opposing it. So like that, the narrator of the Hadith was not pleased with this respect and he is Abdullah ibn Umar radiallahu anhumma. So he did not sit.
Questioner:
Our Shaikh, if the design of bus is such that there is no room for the old in age or a sick person to sit. If they stand, they will be harmed or tired or annoyed and I am young and stronger to stand.
Shaikh:
The other example is clear. So this is allowed and it does not have a connection with what we were in [discussion about]. Yes.
Questioner:
Jazakallahu Khairan
[Silsilatul Huda wan Nur no. 12 B]
Translated by
Faisal Ibn Abdul Qaadir Ibn Hassan
Abu Sulaymaan
