By Asma bint Shameem
A Sutrah is something that’s placed in front of a person when he’s praying.
It’s a recommendation from the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam to place a Sutrah whenever we pray.
He said:
“When one of you prays, let him pray facing a sutrah and let him draw close to it.” (Abu Dawood- Hasan by al-Albaani)
If we're praying by *ourselves* in an open area, like the hall of a Masjid etc, we should try not to pray in the middle of the area where people can come and go and pass in front of us.
We should try and find a spot behind a pillar, a chair etc.
That’s because the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:
“If the one who passes in front of a person who is praying knew what (a burden of sin) he bears, it would be better for him to stand for forty rather than pass in front of him.” Abu’l-Nadar – one of the narrators – said:
“I do not know whether he said forty days or months or years.”
(al-Bukhaari, Muslim)
Placing the sutrah in front of you when praying is mustahabb.
It should be the height of a the back of a saddle according to the hadeeth of the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam.
He said:
"If any of you places something like (the size of) the rear of a camel's saddle in front of him, then performs Salaah, then do not bother about whoever passes beyond that". (Muslim)
That's about the length of a forearm from the fingertips to the elbow.
But if you can't find anything that's that height then anything will do.
That's because Allaah says:
"So keep your duty to Allaah (and fear Him) as much as you can..." (Surah at-Taghaabun: 16)
And the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said:
"If I order you to do something then do as much of it as you are able to". (Muslim)
However if someone didn’t place a sutrah in front of them while praying, then as long as you avoid the area between their feet and their place of sujood, it should be fine.
The scholars said:
“If the one who is praying has not set up a sutrah, he has no more than the space in which he prostrates.
This is the most correct scholarly opinion.
It is permissible for the one who wants to pass in front of him to pass in the space beyond where he prostrates.
That is because the prohibition mentioned in the hadeeth applies to passing in front of the one who is praying, and what is beyond the place where he prostrates is not counted as being in front of the one who is praying.”
(Islamqa Fatwa # 26182)
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said after mentioning the differences of scholarly opinion concerning the distance within which the worshipper should stop anyone from passing in front of him:
“The most correct opinion is that it is the distance between his feet and the place where he prostrates. That is because the one who is praying has no right to anything more than what he needs for his prayer. So he does not have the right to prevent the people from (using space) that he does not need.”(Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 3/340)
What if I’m praying in congregation behind an Imaam? Do I still need the Sutrah?
If you're praying behind the Imaam, you don't need the sutrah because the Imaam's sutrah is your sutrah.
And if you came late to the masjid and joined the Jama'ah, then the Imaam finished the Salaah and everyone moved away, and you're left still praying, then in that situation the ulama tell us that if there's a pillar, chair, another person etc, close by then we should move towards that if we can do so, without too much moving.
But if the potential sutrah is not close by and it involves moving a big distance then we can continue to pray without a sutrah because there's nothing we can do.
However do try and stop people who are about to pass on from of you as per the instructions of the Prophet
Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam.
He said:
"If any of you perform Salaah then do not let anyone pass in front of you. And if someone insists ( on passing) then fight him, for indeed he is Shaytaan". (Muslim)
And Allaah knows best
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