Hadith request from TPA

As Salamu Alaikum

Our high school's MSA is doing a project, and I remembered a hadith from The Purification Act that was relevent to the topic...but I don't remember the exact wording or who narrated it. It went something like, "If a river separates a man from the masjid, it is obligatory upon him to a build a bridge to attend Friday prayer." Does anyone remember this hadith and who narrated it? JAK

Zafir

[Ify Okoye]

Asalamu alaykum,

I don't think that is a hadith. I believe Shaykh Abdulbary mentioned that story in relation to how something that is mubah (building a bridge) can move to the category of fard if that thing is necessary to complete a fard (attending Friday prayer for men). Allahu Alam.

Abu Hurayrah said: A blind man [Ibn Umm Maktoom] came to Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said, “O messenger of Allaah, I have no one to lead me to the mosque,” and he asked the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to grant him a concession allowing him to pray in his house, and he allowed him that. But when he turned away, he said, “Can you hear the call to prayer?” He said, “Yes.” He said, “Then answer it.” According to a version narrated by Abu Dawood and Ibn Majah he said: “I don’t think there is any concession for you.”

Wa salaam