Major Contemporary Jurisprudential Issues Related to the Haramain Train and the Conditions of Its Passengers: A Comparative Jurisprudential Study
Keywords:
Train, Haramain, contemporary jurisprudential issuesAbstract
Abstract:
This study explores significant jurisprudential questions related to the Haramain high-speed train, particularly issues concerning its internal structure and the most common legal concerns affecting its passengers. It begins with an introduction outlining the importance of the topic, previous scholarly work, the rationale for the study, and its structure. A preliminary section provides a brief overview of the Haramain train, followed by a detailed analysis of several pressing issues. These include the legal ruling on facing or turning away from the qiblah when relieving oneself inside the train, the distance after which passengers qualify for travel-related legal concessions, the appropriate point for assuming iḥrām for passengers departing from Madinah, and the obligation of offering a compensatory sacrifice when iḥrām is delayed beyond the miqāt. Additional topics include the conditions that nullify the option to cancel a sale conducted aboard the train, and the legal characterization of the Haramain train ticket, which is deemed a rental of a lawful benefit by the day—a classification agreed upon by all major schools of law. The study concludes that it is permissible to face or turn away from the qiblah while relieving oneself aboard the train, and that passengers should assume travel concessions upon leaving the built-up area of the departure city. It affirms the permissibility and validity of assuming iḥrām from the beginning of the journey when departing from Madinah and stresses the obligation of a compensatory sacrifice for those who delay it beyond Dhū al-Ḥulayfah. Ultimately, the study affirms the consensus that renting lawful benefits, as in purchasing a train ticket, is religiously valid.
And Allāh knows best.