The Height of the Sutrah and the Ruling on Considering the Edge of the Prayer Mat as a Sutrah

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, if a person’s sutrah is less than two-thirds of an arm’s length, does it not count as a sutrah for him? If a man places his sutrah at a height of less than an arm’s length, is it not considered a sutrah for him?

Answer:
It counts as a sutrah even if its height is small, but the best and most complete option is for it to be the height of the back of the saddle. This is in the category of what is most complete. If it is small or low, it has been reported that a line drawn on the ground also serves as a sutrah, and a stick, if placed horizontally, serves as a sutrah, so there is no harm in that. However, a matter related to this is asked about by many people: if a person is praying on his prayer mat, is the edge of the prayer mat considered a sutrah or not? The understanding is that it is not considered a sutrah. It appears that it is not considered a sutrah, although some of the Shafi'i scholars hold that it is considered a sutrah. Yes.