Are there any hadiths about not travelling alone? What are the disadvantages of travelling alone?

Dear Brother / Sister,

According to what is reported from Ibn Umar, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,  

"If the people knew what I know about traveling alone, then nobody would travel alone at night."1

The hadith does not advise us to travel alone. However, scholars say it is permissible to travel alone when it is necessary and on business. There are some cases when it is necessary to act alone like sending a spy or a point man somewhere. Some examples were reported from the Sunnah. Karahah is related to the cases except these ones. Ibn Hajar says, "Permissibility is probably based on a necessity related to safety." Then, he gives the names of the people the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) sent somewhere alone: Hudhayfa, Nuaym Ibn Mas'ud, Abdullah Ibn Unays, Khawwat Ibn Jubayr, Amr Ibn Umayya, Salim Ibn Umayr."

Accordingly, this hadith states one of the manners of ideal travelling under normal conditions: A person should not go travelling alone. However, it is only a piece of advice not to go travelling alone. Those who go travelling alone do not commit sins.  

According to what Amr Ibn Shuayb reports from his grandfather through his father, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) stated the following:

"One traveler is regarded as a satan and two travelers are regarded as two satans. Three travelers are a convoy."2

When there are three travelers, they are away from the misguiding of Satan. They will do things through consultation. Consultation might not be possible with one person and with two people.3

Khattabi explains the hadith as follows: "Its meaning is as follows: Loneliness and traveling on earth alone is the act of Satan. Satan leads man to this and calls him to travel alone. The same thing is valid for two travelers. However, when there are three people, they form a congregation." Khattabi continues as follows: "If a person who travels alone dies on the way, there will be nobody with him to deal with his janazah like washing his body, enshrouding it and burying him. In addition, there will not be anybody to whom he will give his will, who will take his inheritance to his family and who will give his news of death to his family. He is also deprived of anybody who will help him. If there are three people, they will help one another in some hard tasks and protect one another; they will perform prayers in congregation and receive their share from the thawab of congregation."

According to what is reported from Abu Said and Abu Hurayra, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

"If three people go on a journey, they should choose one of them as their leader."4

It is necessary to form a congregation in every aspect of life so that the biggest Islamic congregation will form small congregations.5

What is meant by this order is to conduct work jointly and harmoniously, to prevent different views from emerging and falling into disagreement.

It is sunnah al-muakkadah to choose a leader in a journey. There are also some scholars who say it is "wajib".

What is meant by three is that the minimum number for congregation is three. If there are more, a leader is necessary first of all. The following hadith is evidence for it: If two people appoint a person as a judge to decide about an issue between them, his decree will be valid. It is necessary to obey such a leader; however, this leader has the right to make decisions about the affairs of the journey only.   

Some scholars say, "Even if there are two people, one of them has to be the leader", likening two to "three" by analogy.6

Footnotes:

1. Bukhari, Jihad 135. see also Tirmidhi, Jihad 4; Ibn Majah, Adab 45.
2. Abu Dawud, Jihad 79; Tirmidhi, Jihad 4.
3. Abdullah Parlıyan, Açıklamalı Tam Riyazu's-Salihin Tercümesi: 285.
4. Abu Dawud, Jihad, Jihad 80.
5. Abdullah Parlıyan, Açıklamalı Tam Riyazu's-Salihin Tercümesi: 286.
6. see İbrahim Canan, Kütüb-i Sitte, 8/13 ff.

Questions on Islam