What is the ruling on the sutrah in prayer, and what is the ruling on leaving it out?

Question : The questioner asks: What is the ruling on the sutrah for the imam and for the one praying alone, and what is the ruling on leaving it out out of negligence?

Answer : The sutrah for the imam and for the one praying alone is a recommended practice (sunnah), and a person should not leave it out. This applies whether one is at home or traveling. Some scholars say that the sutrah is only for when traveling, where a person takes a spear, a stick, or something similar and plants it in front of him while traveling, but not when at home. However, the correct view is that the sutrah is a recommended practice (sunnah) both at home and when traveling. Some scholars also said that the recommended practice (sunnah) of the sutrah is only prescribed if a person fears that someone might pass by; if he does not fear anyone passing by, there is no need for a sutrah. The correct view is the general one, that it is recommended to have a sutrah at home and when traveling, because it has a great benefit: it restricts the gaze from looking around.
It restricts the gaze from looking around, because if you have a sutrah, especially if it is like the back of a saddle, your gaze is confined to the place of your prostration. However, let it be known that the imam’s sutrah is the sutrah for whom? For those behind him. Therefore, if people pass between us, between the rows, between our rows while we are with the imam, that does not harm us in any way.