Jumma Prayers - Prohibition on stepping over people who are sitting in the mosque on Friday

I hope that you can tell us the ruling on stepping over people who are
sitting in the mosque on Friday – is it haraam or not?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Abu Dawood (1118) and Ibn Maajah (1115) narrated that 'Abd-Allaah ibn
Busr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: A man came and started
stepping over the people one Friday when the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) wasdelivering the khutbah,
and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to
him: "Sit down, for you have annoyed (people)."Classed as saheeh by
al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.
In this hadeeth there is aprohibition on stepping over people when
coming to Jumu'ah (Friday) prayer.
The scholars differed concerning this matter and there are two views.
1 – That it is makrooh. This was narrated by Ibnal-Mundhir from the
majority. Ibn Hajar said: The majority are of the view that it is
makrooh in the sense that it is better not to do it. This isthe
well-known view of the Shaafa'is and is the view of the Hanbalis.
See: Fath al-Baari, 2/392;Kashshaaf al-Qinaa', 2/44; al-Majmoo', 4/466
Maalik and al-Awzaa'i limited its being makrooh to when the khateeb is
on the minbar, It says in al-Mudawwanah (1/159): Maalik said: Rather
it is makrooh to step over people when the imam has come out and has
sat on the minbar. Whoever steps over people then is the one of whom
the hadeeth speaks. But before that there is nothing wrong with it if
there is a gap in front of him, but he should be polite in doing that.
End quote.
2 – That stepping over others is haraam in all cases, on Fridays and
at other times, because of the hadeeth of 'Abd-Allaah ibn Busr (may
Allaah be pleased with him) in which he said: A man came and started
stepping over the people one Friday when the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was delivering the
khutbah, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said to him: "Sit down, for you have annoyed (people)."
Narrated by Abu Dawood, 1118; Ibn Maajah, 1115; classed as saheeh by
al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.
Al-Tirmidhi said: This is what is to be followed according to the
scholars. They regarded it as makrooh for a man to step over people on
Friday, and they were very strict with regard tothat. End quote.
This is what a number ofscholars regarded as more likely to be
correct,such as Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn 'Abd al-Barr, al-Nawawi, and
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, asstated in al-Ikhtiyaaraat
al-Fiqhiyyah, p. 81, and others. Among contemporary scholars who held
this view is Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen.
Ibn al-Mundhir said, explaining the reason why he said it is
haraam:That is because causing annoyance is haraam, whether it is a
little or a lot, and this is causing annoyance, as it says in the
saheeh hadeeth in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) saidto one whom he saw stepping over people: "Sit down, for
you are causing annoyance." Al-Majmoo', 4/467.
Ibn 'Abd al-Barr said in al-Tamheed (1/316): The words of the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to the
one who was stepping over people on a Friday, "You are causing
annoyance,"indicate that stepping over people is an annoyance, and it
is not permissible to annoy a Muslim under any circumstances, on
Friday or at any other time.
Al-Nawawi said in Rawdat al-Taalibeen (11/224): The favoured view is
that stepping over people is haraam, because of the ahaadeeth on this
topic.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen said: Stepping over people is haraam duringthe
khutbah and at other times, because the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said to a man whom he saw stepping over people:
"Sit down, for you are causing annoyance." That is evenmore forbidden
if it happens during the khutbah, because it is causing annoyance to
people and distracting them from listening to the khutbah, even if he
is moving towards a gap. End quote.
Fataawa wa Rasaa'il al-Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen, 16/147.