Question

AsalamoAlikum

Playing sports like cricket and football are really common in the streets around where I live. In alot of cases neighbours do not like people to disturb them or harm their cars and home windows due to the use of balls. Some neigbours get exteremely frustrated on this.

My question is that to what extent neighbours have the right to stop children/adults from playing on the streets with the equipment(Cricket bat,tennis ball, football etc) that might cause damage to their property like home windows and cars. On the other hand is it impermissible for children/adults to play on the streets altogether or do they also have some right in this. We do not have many useful parks to fulfill this purpose for children and adults. Also, do the neighbours have right if they park their cars on the street. In other words if someone hits a ball on a car parked on the street than one might ask 'Does that place belong to the neighbours in the firstplace or not?'. Kindly also take into account the noice the children/adults make while playing on the streets which might distrub neighbours as well. Moreover, the children/Adults usually belong to the families of the same neighbourhood.

Alot of times my friends have called me to play with them but dure to lack of clarity on this issue I used to avoid. Playing with them sometimes can allow me to call them to Allah. Their hearts might soften a bit towards what I follow. They perhaps think I do not participate with them anymore.

Any guidance based on shariat on this issue would be extremely benifical for me.

Jazak Allah

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

It is not permissible to play in the streets since this annoys and disturbs the neighbors, and they might be harmed by it. The Prophet said: "Avoid sitting on the roads.” They (the companions) asked: “O Prophet of Allah” we do not have any other alternative as these are our sitting places where we have talks. Then, he said: "If you have no other alternative than sitting on the roads then you should give the road its right.” They asked: “What is the right of the road, O Prophet of Allah?” He said: “It is to lower your gaze (on seeing what is illegal to took at), refrain from harming people respond to the Salaam (when someone greets you with Salaam), enjoin good and forbid evil.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

The Prophet did not permit them to sit on the roads unless they refrain from causing harm, hence it becomes more appropriate to prevent those (children and adults) from playing that causes harm to people’s property or harming the sick people or disturbing the dwellers and so forth. Indeed, the Prophet said: “There should be no harm nor reciprocal harm.” [Ahmad]

As regards parking cars on the streets or on the places that are allocated for car parking according to the customs, then this is permissible as this is among the benefits of the road that are permissible for people to benefit from.

With regard to calling those people to Allah, then this should be according to permissible means and the first thing that you should call them to is to respect the road and refrain from harming people. Nevertheless, you should not participate with them in what is not permissible since a permissible objective is not a sound reason for committing a prohibited means.

Allah Knows best.

Fatwa answered by: The Fatwa Center at Islamweb