If a woman passes in front of a man during his prayer, is his prayer invalidated?

Question:
And likewise, may Allah preserve you, if a woman passes in front of a man during his prayer, is his prayer invalidated by that?

Answer:
His prayer is not invalidated. The correct view is that his prayer is not invalidated by the passing of a woman, nor the passing of a dog, nor the passing of a donkey. Rather, what is meant by invalidation here is a decrease in the reward, not the invalidation of the prayer itself. Imam Ahmad, yes, he holds that it is invalidated by the passing of the three: the woman, the black female dog, and the donkey. However, the majority, which is also a narration from Ahmad, hold that what is meant by invalidation here is a decrease, a decrease in the reward. In fact, Imam Ahmad in his school holds that it is invalidated only by the passing of a black female dog. So it is not invalidated by the passing of a woman or a donkey, but only by the black dog. This is in the text of al-Zad.