it invalidate the person's prayer?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
It is not permissible for anyone to walk in front of a person who is
praying unless that is behind his sutrah (object used as a screen), or
he walks far away from him, beyond the place where he is prostrating –
in the event that he has not set up a sutrah – because of the report
narrated by al-Bukhaari(510) and Muslim (507) which says that the
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "If the one
who passes in front of one who is praying knew what (sin) he incurs,
he would realize that waiting for forty is better than passing in
front of him." Abu'l-Nadr said: I do not know whether he said forty
days, or months, or years.
The worshipper should try to stop the one who wants to walk in front
of him, because of the report narrated by al-Bukhaari (509) and Muslim
(505 from Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) who
said: I heard the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
say: "If one of you prays facing towards something that is screening
him from the people, and someone wants to pass in front of him, let
him push him in the chest, and if he insists then let him fight him,
for he is a devil."
Secondly:
If a woman walks between a worshipper and his sutrah, then the prayer
is invalidated, whether the worshipper is leading the prayer or
praying on his own. As for the one who is praying behind an imam, it
does not affect his prayer, because the sutrah of the imam is a sutrah
for him too. For further discussion of this point please see question
no. 3404.
Thirdly:
A number of scholars made an exception in the case of al-Masjid
al-Haraam and granted a concession allowing people to walk in front of
worshippers in that place. They were of the view that if a woman or
anyone else passes in front of a worshipper it does not invalidate his
prayer.
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said inal-Mughni(2/40):
There is nothing wrong with praying in Makkah without a sutrah. That
was narrated from Ibn al-Zubayr, 'Ata' and Mujaahid. Al-Athram said:
It was said to Ahmad: What if a man is praying with Makkah and does
not use anything as a sutrah? He said: It was narrated from the
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that he prayed with
no sutrah between him and the tawaaf area. Ahmad said: Because Makkah
is not like anywhere else, as if Makkah is special.
Ibn Abi 'Ammaar said: I saw Ibn al-Zubayr come and pray, and the
tawaaf area was between him and the qiblah, and women were walking in
front of him. He would wait until the woman had passed, then he would
put his forehead on the ground where her feet had been. Narrated by
Hanbal inal-Manaasik.
Al-Mu'tamir said: I said to Tawoos: What if a man is praying – i.e.,
in Makkah – and men and women are passing in front of him? He thinks
that this land is not like other lands, because many people come to
Makkah in order to perform their rituals, and they crowd the place,
and if the worshipper were to prevent those who want to pass in front
of him, it would cause hardship for the people. End quote.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: I have found
a proven hadeeth which says: If one of you is praying and a donkey,
black dog or woman passes in front of him, his prayer is invalid. If
the text of the hadeeth is saheeh, what is your opinion about those
who pray in al-Haram al-Shareef with women passing in front of them as
they do tawaaf?
He replied: The hadeeth is saheeh. The Prophet(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "A Muslim's prayer is invalidated if there
is nothing in front of him the height of the back of a saddle, by a
woman, a donkey and a black dog." Narrated by Imam Muslim in
hisSaheeh. If a black dog, a donkey or a woman passes in front of a
worshipper, or between him and his sutrah each of them invalidates his
prayer. This is how it was narrated in the hadeeth from the
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and it is sounder
than the opinions of the scholars. Concerning that there is a
difference of opinion among the scholars, including those who
interpreted it as meaning that it is the reward or the completeness of
the prayer that is affected.
But the correct view is that it invalidates the prayer and it is
spoiled by that.
But what happens in al-Masjid al-Haraam is excused according to the
scholars, because it is not possible to avoid that in al-Masjid
al-Haraam due to the crowding, especially at the time of Hajj. This is
one of the things that is excused in al-Masjid al-Haraam and is exempt
from the general meaning of the ahaadeeth. What happens of women who
are doing tawaaf passing in front of people praying in al-Masjid
al-Haraam does not affect them and their prayers are valid, whether
naafil or obligatory. This is the correct scholarly view. End quote
fromFataawa al-Shaykh Baaz(17/152).
The scholars of the Standing Committee for issuing fatwas were asked:
Is it permissible to walk in front of a person who is praying in the
mosque?
They replied: It is haraam to walk in front of a person who is
praying, whether he has put a sutrah in front of himself or not,
because of the general meaning of the hadeeth, "If the one who passes
in front of one who is praying knew what (sin) he incurs, he would
realize that waiting for forty is better than passing in front of
him." A number of scholars made an exception in the case of prayers
offered in al-Masjid al-Haraam, and they granted a concession allowing
people to walk in front of worshippers there, because of the report
narrated by Katheer ibn Katheer ibn al-Muttalib from his father from
his grandfather, who said: I saw the Messenger of Allaah(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) standing at the Hijr with the people
passing in front of him. According to another report from al-Muttalib
he said: I saw the Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) when he had finished his seven (i.e., tawaaf), come and
stand with the Corner between him and the Saqeefah, and pray two
rak'ahs at the edge of the Mataaf, with no one between him and the
tawaaf area. Although the isnaad of this hadeeth is da'eef, it is
supported by other reports and by the general meaning of the evidence
which suggests that there is no sin in that case, because of the
difficulty involved in preventing people from passing in front of a
worshipper in al-Masjid al-Haraam in most cases. End quote.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah(7/82).
But one should not be careless about setting up something as a sutrah,
even if the place is crowded, so long as it is possible to do that.
Similarly one should not be careless about passing in front of a
person who is praying, unless one has no other choice.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: What
is the ruling on men and women passing in front of people who are
praying, especially in the Haram, and does it invalidat their prayers?
He replied: As for men (walking in front of one) they do not
invalidate the prayer, but one should try to stop them. As for woman,
an adult woman does invalidate the prayer if she walks between you and
your sutrah, or between you and the place where you prostrate, if you
do not have a sutrah, whether that is in the Haram or elsewhere. But
if a person cannot find any place to pray except a place where people
walk, such as by the doors, then as a case of necessity it does not
invalidate his prayer, because if he tried to stop the people from
walking in front of him he would be moving too much in his prayer and
would spoil it.
Questioner: But what is the ruling if they walk a little distance from him?
The Shaykh: If they walk far away, beyond the place where he
prostrates, then it does not matter. End quote fromLiqa' al-Baab
il-Maftooh(86/11).
And Allaah knows best.
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