The ruling on passing in front of the people praying in congregation
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
May Allah reward you. This questioner says: After the greeting of peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah, what is the ruling on one who passes in front of the people while they are praying the congregational prayer? Some have stated that it is permissible because the imam’s sutrah serves as a sutrah for them. Please inform us, may Allah reward you with good?
Answer:
It does not harm. If someone passes between the rows, it does not harm; because the imam is screened, and his sutrah is a screen for them. Ibn Abbas once passed by a donkey of his, and he left it between the rows, and he moved forward. The point is that the imam’s sutrah is a screen for the ma’mum (those praying behind him). So if someone passes in front of them to fill a gap or for a need, it does not harm them. Yes.
May Allah reward you. This questioner says: After the greeting of peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah, what is the ruling on one who passes in front of the people while they are praying the congregational prayer? Some have stated that it is permissible because the imam’s sutrah serves as a sutrah for them. Please inform us, may Allah reward you with good?
Answer:
It does not harm. If someone passes between the rows, it does not harm; because the imam is screened, and his sutrah is a screen for them. Ibn Abbas once passed by a donkey of his, and he left it between the rows, and he moved forward. The point is that the imam’s sutrah is a screen for the ma’mum (those praying behind him). So if someone passes in front of them to fill a gap or for a need, it does not harm them. Yes.
Source
فتاوى المسجد الحرام (شعبان ١٤١٧ هـ) - ٧ — archive.org (30:53)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.