Home » Hanafi Fiqh » HadithAnswers.com » Sitting in partial shade and partial sunlight

Sitting in partial shade and partial sunlight

I would like to know if you have ever come across a Hadith which states that Shaytan sits between the shade and sunlight, so either sit fully in the shade or fully in the sunlight”.

Answer

Yes. Hereunder are Hadiths on this topic:

1) Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) prohibited that [a person] sit partially in sunlight and partially in the shade and said “This is the sitting of Shaytan”

(Musnad Ahmad, vol. 3 pg. 414)

‘Allamah Haythami has declared the narrators reliable.

(Majma’uz Zawaid, vol. 8 pg. 60. Also see: Mustadrak Hakim, vol. 4 pg. 271)

2) Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (radiyallahu ‘anhu) relates, Abul Qasim (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “When one of you is sitting in the [shade] and it starts to withdraw resulting in him being partly in the sun and partly in the shade, he should get up.

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith: 4788. Also see Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, Hadiths: 26478-26484)

Note: Imam Bayhaqi (rahimahullah) has recorded a narration which states that Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was once sitting by the Ka’bah, partially in the shade and partially in the sun. (As Sunanul Kubra, vol. 3 pg. 237)

The Scholars have therefore offered some explanations to the Hadith in question. Among them:

  1. This refers to a person who was seated fully in the shade or fully in the sun and when the sun moved he happened to be partially in the shade and partially in sun. This person should move away. Therefore according to this explanation, the Hadith does not refer to a person who sat in partial shade and partial sun from the onset.
  2.  The Hadith in question refers to sitting for prolonged periods of time partially in the sun and partially in the shade.

(Refer: Al Ajwibatul Mardiyyah, vol. 2 pgs. 850-855)

Note: Kindly refer to a Mufti/Darul Ifta for further clarification on this issue.

And Allah Ta’ala Knows best.

Answered by: Moulana Suhail Motala

Approved by: Moulana Muhammad Abasoomar

This answer was collected from HadithAnswers.com. The answers were either answered or checked by Moulana Haroon Abasoomar (rahimahullah) who was a Shaykhul Hadith in South Africa, or by his son, Moulana Muhammad Abasoomer (hafizahullah), who is a Hadith specialist. 

Read answers with similar topics: