Introduction

In the Islamic Sharia system, the free movement of women and men in public spaces has not merely been discouraged; rather, it has been strictly regulated through specific rulings. One of the most notable and controversial rulings is the prohibition of women walking in the middle of the road and the order for them to walk along the roadside. This ruling is essentially regarded as an institutional attempt to enforce gender segregation and to shrink women's visibility.

The Religious Source and the Nature of the Ruling

The basis of this ruling is a hadith narrated in Sunan Abu Dawud. When the Prophet Muhammad was coming out of the mosque, he saw men and women mixing on the road. Then the Prophet ordered the women not to walk in the middle of the road, and instead told them to walk along the side of the road. As a result, the women were forced to walk hugging the wall, which caused their clothes to get caught on the wall. This statement is clearly degrading and uncivilized toward women. This incident is a clear example of gender discrimination. Men think that the road should remain under their control and that women must obey their orders. To eliminate gender discrimination in society and to ensure equal rights for women, changing this kind of mentality is extremely important. From this hadith, it is very natural for Muslims to develop the idea that roads are actually made for men — that women should walk on them frightened and anxious, with heads bowed, hugging the walls!

Sunan Abu Dawud (IF)
Chapter: 38/ Greetings (Salam)
5182. Abdullah ibn Maslamah (RA) ………. Abu Usayd al-Ansari (RA) narrated from his father. He heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) narrate that when he came out of the mosque, he saw men mixing with women in the middle of the road. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said to the women: Wait! You should not walk in the middle of the road; rather, you should go along one side of the road. Afterwards, because the women walked hugging the wall, most of the time their clothes got caught on the wall.
Hadith grade: Hasan (Good)

Note that the narrator Abu Usayd al-Ansari mentioned that after this order, the women walked so close to the wall that many times their garments got caught on the wall.

The Position of Islamic Jurists and Fatwa Sites

Sites providing modern interpretations of Islamic jurisprudence, such as IslamQA (Sheikh Munajjid) and Islamweb, consider this hadith a mandatory etiquette for women.

The State and Institutional Form of Woman Degradation

Conclusion

This prohibition on women walking in the middle of the road is not merely a historical incident; rather, it is a living practice in today's Salafi and conservative Islamic societies. When influential platforms like IslamQA or Islamweb promote this gender-discriminatory behavior as part of 'Allah's pleasure' and 'modesty,' it obstructs the modern concept of equal rights. Blocking women's free and dignified movement in public and forcing them to walk hugging the walls must be considered extreme backwardness for a progressive society.