owns what is above it and what lies beneath it; no one may dare trespass upon him.

The scholars add: If your neighbor has a tree whose branches stretch over into your land so that a bough hangs above your property, the neighbor must bend it back. If bending is impossible, he must cut it—unless you explicitly permit and approve it—for the airspace is yours and follows the ground beneath.

As for the ḥadith of Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī, may Allah be pleased with him, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Allah certainly grants the wrongdoer a reprieve, but when He seizes him He never lets him go.” To “grant reprieve” means that He gives the oppressor time, allowing him to persist in his wrongdoing—Allah’s refuge is sought—without hastening the punishment. This is one form of affliction; we ask Allah to protect us and you from it. Part of divine enticement (istidrāj) is that a person is left unpunished so his injustices accumulate; then, when Allah seizes him, He never releases him—He seizes with the grip of the All-Mighty, the All-Powerful. The Prophet then recited: “Such is the seizing of your Lord when He seizes the towns while they are unjust; indeed, His seizing is painful, severe” (Hud 11:102).

Therefore the oppressor must not be deluded by himself or by the respite Allah grants him, for that is a calamity on top of his calamity. If a person is punished promptly for his injustice, he may reflect, take heed, and abandon oppression. But if he is granted respite, gaining more sins or increasing his wrongdoing, his punishment only grows—Allah’s refuge is sought—and he will be seized suddenly. And when Allah seizes him, He will not release him. We ask Allah to grant us and you the ability to take heed from His signs and to protect us and you from wronging ourselves or others. Indeed, He is Most Generous, Most Bountiful.