their virtuous deeds: removing harm from the road. “Yumâṭ” means “to be taken away,” and “harm” covers everything that annoys passers-by—thorns, sticks, stones, shards of glass, animal droppings, and so on. Whatever causes inconvenience: clearing it from the way ranks among the finest acts.

The Prophet ﷺ stated that removing harm from the road is an act of charity, so it is a praiseworthy deed whose performer receives the reward of charity. He also said, “Faith has more than seventy branches: the highest of them is to declare ‘There is no god but Allah,’ the lowest of them is removing harm from the road, and modesty is a branch of faith.” Therefore, whenever you find something harmful on the road and take it away, you have done one of the excellent deeds, earned the reward of charity, and practiced a trait—indeed, a branch—of faith.

Now, if clearing harm is virtuous and charitable, then placing harm in the paths of Muslims is among the blameworthy deeds. Those who throw fruit peels and the like in marketplaces and walkways, thereby troubling people, are undoubtedly sinning. Allah the Exalted says, “Those who hurt believing men and believing women without their having earned it bear the burden of calumny and a manifest sin” (Al-Ahzâb 33:58).

The jurists add that if an animal or a person slips on such refuse and breaks a bone, the one who placed it is liable; he must pay full or partial blood money commensurate with the injury. The point is that this behavior constitutes harming the Muslims.

Among the same category of misdeeds is what some people do by spilling water in the marketplaces