Is standing in line Islamically wrong?

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Question:

A Muslim acquaintance of ours recently told us that it was "un-Islamic" to queue, for example in a bank or in a line of traffic, as queueing meant you knew who was next which was the equivalent of seeing into the future, which is not allowed. I would be interested in your opinion of this as I expect that Islam also upholds an individual's responsibility to consider others in daily life, which would mean taking your place in a queue, just out of politeness.

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Walaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,

I pray that this finds you well, and in the best of health and spirits. May Allah grant you all good and success in this life and the next.

There is no basis in the Qur'an and Sunna for such a strange claim. Rather, the guidance of the Qur'an and Sunna came to uphold justice, fairness, and the fulfillment of general human interest--all of which are better accomplished by queuing than by not queuing.

And Allah alone gives success. Faraz Rabbani

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