Ruling on Passing in Front of Those Praying, Especially in the Sacred Precinct
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What is the ruling on those who pass in front of people praying, especially in the Sacred Precinct, both women and men, and thereby interrupt the prayer?The Shaykh: As for men, they do not interrupt the prayer, but a person is commanded to turn them back. As for women, an adult woman interrupts the prayer if she passes between you and your sutrah, or between you and the place of your prostration, if you do not have a sutrah, whether in the Sacred Precinct or elsewhere. However, if a person cannot find a place to pray except in a place where people pass, such as near the doors, then his prayer is not interrupted due to dire necessity; because if he were to keep turning people back, the movement in his prayer would increase and invalidate it.
The questioner: But what is the ruling if they pass from a distance, just a little?The Shaykh: If they pass from a distance, behind the place of his prostration, that does not harm. And less than two meters does not harm.Meaning: For example, now in the Sacred Precinct, there is a barrier behind which people pray. If someone passes behind the barrier, it does not harm, even if it is a woman. Likewise, in the courtyard of the Tawaf, on the tiles, if someone passes behind the tiles, it does not harm.
The questioner: But what is the ruling if they pass from a distance, just a little?The Shaykh: If they pass from a distance, behind the place of his prostration, that does not harm. And less than two meters does not harm.Meaning: For example, now in the Sacred Precinct, there is a barrier behind which people pray. If someone passes behind the barrier, it does not harm, even if it is a woman. Likewise, in the courtyard of the Tawaf, on the tiles, if someone passes behind the tiles, it does not harm.