for him to project such a sābāṭ or rawshan when it harms people, he may not do so. If he projects it so low that it would strike a rider or the like, it is prohibited.

His statement, “And a bench”: this means a raised threshold. A person may not extend a threshold into the street, even if his house is higher than the street, because the street belongs to everyone. Moreover, the threshold narrows the street and may injure people’s feet, especially when many people pass along it. It is therefore not permissible to extend a bench into the street.

The apparent meaning of the author’s words is that this is so even if the street is wide, and even with the permission of the one authorized to grant such permission. The same may likewise be said here as we said regarding the rawshan and sābāṭ: if there is no harm in it—because the road is wide, the threshold is low, and it harms no one—and the governing authority permits it, then he may do so, as is customary. As for what some people do nowadays, making a staircase in a narrow street that may reach five or six steps, this is not permissible, because it narrows the street and harms the Muslims. The street does not belong to any individual; rather, it is public property.

His statement, “And a waterspout”: this is the channel through which water flows from rooftops. It is not permissible to direct it onto a through passageway. What, then, should we do?

The answer is: rainwater should be made to fall inside the house and then exit from below.

The apparent meaning of the author’s words is that this is absolutely prohibited, whether it entails