Is the hadith about a woman and a black dog breaking the prayer specific or not? I hope for details, and does this apply in the Haram?
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The questioner : Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The questioner : Your Eminence, is the hadith about a woman and a black dog breaking the prayer abrogated or not? I hope for details, and does this apply here in the Haram as well?
The Shaykh : The hadith of Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him), which Muslim narrated, in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Bulugh al-Maram 2:98.
The woman must be of age. The donkey is mentioned in the hadith without qualification. The dog is qualified as being black.
Abu Dharr asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), "What is the matter with the black one compared to the red and the white?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:.
These three break the prayer if they pass in front of the one praying, if he has no sutrah, or between him and his sutrah if he has one.
The meaning of breaking the prayer is that it invalidates the prayer, and he must restart it.
The hadith is not abrogated; rather, it is clear and established. The breaking is not a breaking of perfection, but a breaking that results in invalidity.
Accordingly, if a woman passes between a man and his sutrah, she breaks his prayer. However, he is commanded to prevent her, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih al-Bukhari 509.
It is not permissible for anyone to pass in front of the one praying, neither in al-Masjid al-Haram, nor in al-Masjid al-Nabawi, nor in any other mosque, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan Abi Dawud 701Sahih (Al-Albani) Forty what? Forty what? In the narration of al-Bazzar: meaning forty years.
If he were to stand for forty years, that would be better for him than passing in front of the one praying. Many people do not even stand for forty minutes; you find them trying to pass in front of the one praying without waiting. This is an error, because he commits a great sin if he passes in front of the one praying, whether he has a sutrah or not, and whether it is in al-Masjid al-Haram or elsewhere.
There is no evidence that the soul can be reassured of its authenticity and its indication of a difference between al-Masjid al-Haram and other places. For this reason, al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) titled this issue with the words: "Chapter on the sutrah in Makkah and elsewhere".
So Makkah is like other lands, and al-Masjid al-Haram is like other mosques; it is not permissible for anyone to pass in front of the one praying.
But what is meant by "in front of him"? We say: if he has a sutrah, his limit is his sutrah. If he has no sutrah, it was said that what is in front of the one praying is three cubits from his feet. It was also said that what is in front of the one praying is the space between his place of prostration and his feet, meaning the place of the forehead and the feet. This is closer to the truth than the first opinion, because what is behind the place of prostration is not a right of the one praying that would prevent others from passing through. The one praying does not have a right to the land except to the extent he needs it, and he does not need more than the place of his prostration. So what is in front of him is what is between his feet and the place of... If someone passes behind him, he is not sinful.
Here in al-Masjid al-Haram, in some of its locations, we find that there are carpets laid out, usually the size of the prostration. If a person passes behind these carpets, he is not sinful, because the carpet is the limit of the one praying. Likewise, if a person is praying on a prayer mat, what is behind the mat in front of the one praying is not forbidden to pass through, because it is outside the prayer place of the one praying, or outside the place of his prostration.
It remains to be said: what if a person is behind the imam? The answer is: if a person is behind the imam, the imam's sutrah is the sutrah for those behind him. The evidence for this is the hadith of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:, because the imam's sutrah is the sutrah for the one praying behind him.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The questioner : Your Eminence, is the hadith about a woman and a black dog breaking the prayer abrogated or not? I hope for details, and does this apply here in the Haram as well?
The Shaykh : The hadith of Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him), which Muslim narrated, in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
In case there is not before him (an object) like the back of a saddle, a Muslim's Salat (prayer) would be cut off by (the passing of) a woman, a donkey and a black dog
يقطع صلاة الرجل المسلم إذا لم يكن بين يديه مثل مؤخرة الرحل المرأة والحمار والكلب الأسودThe woman must be of age. The donkey is mentioned in the hadith without qualification. The dog is qualified as being black.
Abu Dharr asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), "What is the matter with the black one compared to the red and the white?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The black dog is a devil.
الكلب الأسود شيطانThese three break the prayer if they pass in front of the one praying, if he has no sutrah, or between him and his sutrah if he has one.
The meaning of breaking the prayer is that it invalidates the prayer, and he must restart it.
The hadith is not abrogated; rather, it is clear and established. The breaking is not a breaking of perfection, but a breaking that results in invalidity.
Accordingly, if a woman passes between a man and his sutrah, she breaks his prayer. However, he is commanded to prevent her, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
If anybody amongst you is praying behind something as a Sutra and somebody tries to pass in front of him, then he should repulse him and if he refuses, he should use force against him for he is a Shaitan (a Satan).
إذا صلى أحدكم إلى شيء يستره من الناس فأراد أحد أن يجتاز بين يديه فليدفعه، فإن أبى فليقاتله فإن معه شيطانIt is not permissible for anyone to pass in front of the one praying, neither in al-Masjid al-Haram, nor in al-Masjid al-Nabawi, nor in any other mosque, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
If one who passes in front of a man who is praying knew the responsibility he incurs, he would prefer to stand still for forty. . . rather than pass in front of him.
لو يعلم المار بين يدي المصلي ماذا عليه لكان أن يقف أربعين خير له من أن يمر بين يديهForty autumns.
أربعين خريفاIf he were to stand for forty years, that would be better for him than passing in front of the one praying. Many people do not even stand for forty minutes; you find them trying to pass in front of the one praying without waiting. This is an error, because he commits a great sin if he passes in front of the one praying, whether he has a sutrah or not, and whether it is in al-Masjid al-Haram or elsewhere.
There is no evidence that the soul can be reassured of its authenticity and its indication of a difference between al-Masjid al-Haram and other places. For this reason, al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) titled this issue with the words: "Chapter on the sutrah in Makkah and elsewhere".
So Makkah is like other lands, and al-Masjid al-Haram is like other mosques; it is not permissible for anyone to pass in front of the one praying.
But what is meant by "in front of him"? We say: if he has a sutrah, his limit is his sutrah. If he has no sutrah, it was said that what is in front of the one praying is three cubits from his feet. It was also said that what is in front of the one praying is the space between his place of prostration and his feet, meaning the place of the forehead and the feet. This is closer to the truth than the first opinion, because what is behind the place of prostration is not a right of the one praying that would prevent others from passing through. The one praying does not have a right to the land except to the extent he needs it, and he does not need more than the place of his prostration. So what is in front of him is what is between his feet and the place of... If someone passes behind him, he is not sinful.
Here in al-Masjid al-Haram, in some of its locations, we find that there are carpets laid out, usually the size of the prostration. If a person passes behind these carpets, he is not sinful, because the carpet is the limit of the one praying. Likewise, if a person is praying on a prayer mat, what is behind the mat in front of the one praying is not forbidden to pass through, because it is outside the prayer place of the one praying, or outside the place of his prostration.
It remains to be said: what if a person is behind the imam? The answer is: if a person is behind the imam, the imam's sutrah is the sutrah for those behind him. The evidence for this is the hadith of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: