you ought to quicken the pace, for if you dawdle when the ground is barren and offers no grazing, the journey will drag on and the animals will be reduced to skin and bones. This reflects the Prophet’s ﷺ wisdom: Allah endowed him with a concern for the welfare of both people and beasts. Hence he instructed travelers to observe these manners—when pasture is abundant, go gently; when it is scarce, move briskly.

He ﷺ also commanded that if we halt at night to rest—what the Arabs call ʿarasa—we must not lie down on the very roadway, for it is the thoroughfare of animals and people alike. A heedless passer-by could stumble over those sleeping there. Moreover, such tracks are a haven for vermin; they flock to the road whenever scraps of food fall, which is why creeping creatures are so common along them. For that reason the Prophet ﷺ forbade us to sleep on the roads themselves, telling us to camp a little way off: we neither inconvenience travelers nor expose ourselves to the harm of vermin.

By the same token—and even more emphatically—one must stay clear of today’s motor highways. A driver might doze off for a split second, veer off the carriageway, and plow into anyone sleeping nearby, with catastrophic results. So keep well away from these fast roads; do not sleep beside them, lest you put yourself in danger. Such guidance comes from the Prophet ﷺ.