The Sutrah in the Rawatib and Its Distance
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
Is the sutrah and its distance prescribed in the rawatib (regular voluntary prayers)? And what is the honorable Shaykh’s opinion regarding the saying of [UNTRANSLATED: bi-ja-hi Allah]?
The Shaykh:
The sutrah is required in the rawatib and in the obligatory prayers, and it is among the recommended practices. The sutrah is a recommended practice. It is recommended for one who intends to pray an obligatory or voluntary prayer to pray facing a sutrah and to keep it close. If he prays without a sutrah, his prayer is valid, because the sutrah is not obligatory. It is not obligatory; it is among the recommended practices. This is except in the Sacred Mosque and in places of congestion, such as the large congregational mosques where people are crowded. In such cases, passing in front of the one praying is excused due to the congestion and the need. So in the Sacred Mosque, the Prophet’s Mosque, and the large congregational mosques where people are crowded, passing in front of the one praying is permitted due to the need. If we prevented it, people would stop in the Haram and not move, causing congestion and hardship for the people. As the scholars say, when a matter becomes narrow, it becomes wide, and they say that hardship brings ease. And Allah the Exalted says:[Al-Hajj 22:78].
As for when the place is spacious and there are passageways for people to walk through, it is forbidden to pass in front of the one praying. The passer bears a great sin, and the one praying must prevent the passer. If the passer has other routes and passageways, and he needs this passageway, it is obligatory for the one praying to prevent him, and it is forbidden for the passer to pass in front of the one praying. As for taking a sutrah in itself, it is a recommended practice. Yes.
Another questioner:
Shaykh, what is the specified distance?
The Shaykh:
Three cubits. The specified distance between the one praying and the one passing in front of him is three cubits from the feet of the one praying. Yes.
Is the sutrah and its distance prescribed in the rawatib (regular voluntary prayers)? And what is the honorable Shaykh’s opinion regarding the saying of [UNTRANSLATED: bi-ja-hi Allah]?
The Shaykh:
The sutrah is required in the rawatib and in the obligatory prayers, and it is among the recommended practices. The sutrah is a recommended practice. It is recommended for one who intends to pray an obligatory or voluntary prayer to pray facing a sutrah and to keep it close. If he prays without a sutrah, his prayer is valid, because the sutrah is not obligatory. It is not obligatory; it is among the recommended practices. This is except in the Sacred Mosque and in places of congestion, such as the large congregational mosques where people are crowded. In such cases, passing in front of the one praying is excused due to the congestion and the need. So in the Sacred Mosque, the Prophet’s Mosque, and the large congregational mosques where people are crowded, passing in front of the one praying is permitted due to the need. If we prevented it, people would stop in the Haram and not move, causing congestion and hardship for the people. As the scholars say, when a matter becomes narrow, it becomes wide, and they say that hardship brings ease. And Allah the Exalted says:
and has not placed upon you in the religion any difficulty
وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍAs for when the place is spacious and there are passageways for people to walk through, it is forbidden to pass in front of the one praying. The passer bears a great sin, and the one praying must prevent the passer. If the passer has other routes and passageways, and he needs this passageway, it is obligatory for the one praying to prevent him, and it is forbidden for the passer to pass in front of the one praying. As for taking a sutrah in itself, it is a recommended practice. Yes.
Another questioner:
Shaykh, what is the specified distance?
The Shaykh:
Three cubits. The specified distance between the one praying and the one passing in front of him is three cubits from the feet of the one praying. Yes.
Source
الفوزان -أشرطة- أسئلة وأجوبة من دروس التوحيد - الفوزان - أسئلة وأجوبة - 04 — archive.org (1:29:12)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.