Is it permissible for a woman to be used as a sutrah in front of her husband or a mahram? And does a woman passing in front of a praying person who has a sutrah invalidate his prayer?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : We want to ask a question: Is it permissible to use a woman as a sutrah?
The Shaykh : ... What about the woman?
The questioner : Is it permissible to use a woman as a sutrah, and what is the ruling on her prayer if a woman passes in front of her while she is praying?
The Shaykh : First, the woman you mean as a sutrah: is she a mahram or a non-mahram?
The questioner : A mahram, of course.
The Shaykh : A mahram, good. And she is covered with the prescribed covering, right? You would say, of course, it is not like that, otherwise the matter would go beyond its nature. And finally, it must be the predominant belief that this woman will not leave her place until the one using her as a sutrah finishes his prayer. If that is the case and these three conditions are met, it is permissible to use her as a sutrah. However, if it is the predominant belief that she will remain—this happens to us in the mosque, for example, where a person is praying and cannot find a suitable place to use as a sutrah, so he finds a person sitting and remembering Allah or praying, and he uses him as a sutrah, but then the man seems about to stand up. Before the person praying behind him prays, he must make an assessment: what is this? Well, if it is the predominant belief, the person is not burdened with investigating deeply to know the error; the predominant belief is sufficient. If it is the predominant belief that he will remain as a sutrah, he uses him as such; otherwise, he arranges his affairs. This is what I meant as the third condition. So, when this praying man uses a female mahram as a sutrah, with the notes I mentioned earlier, and then suppose a woman passed between him and her, is that not so?
The questioner : No, if the one praying is a woman and a woman passed between them.
The Shaykh : There is no harm. A woman in front of a woman is less severe than a woman in front of a man.
Laughter.The Shaykh : And you requested it.
The Shaykh: In the name of Allah.
The questioner : What is the evidence for this?
The Shaykh : Evidence for what do you want?
The questioner : For the non-invalidity of a woman's prayer if a woman passes in front of her.
The Shaykh : Because she is covered.
The questioner : And if a woman passes in front of a man and he is covered.
The Shaykh : Was he covered?
The questioner : No, he was praying and a woman passed in front of him, and she was covered.
The Shaykh : We understood: he has a sutrah, yes or no?
The questioner : He has a sutrah, yes.
The Shaykh : Then the prayer is valid.
The questioner : So what is the difference between the two?
The Shaykh : There is no difference; I did not make a distinction for you. You are asking what is the difference, what is the difference. I tell you I did not make a distinction, so why do you ask what is the difference? The previous scenario: we understood, we understood from you: a man uses a female mahram as a sutrah.
The questioner : This is our first question.
The Shaykh : No problem, how many questions do you have now?
The questioner : I have a question in two parts. The first: a man uses a mahram as a sutrah.
The questioner : A female mahram, good.
The questioner : Now, a woman is praying and has used a sutrah, and another woman passed in front of her. What is the legal ruling on that?
The Shaykh : We have not answered you on this, but it is like the first ruling, and even more so.
The questioner : Professor, by Allah, he might think that if he has a sutrah and someone passes in front of the sutrah, they think it breaks the prayer. This is a thought...The questioner .
The Shaykh : In front of the sutrah, what does that mean?
The questioner : Between the praying person and the sutrah.
The Shaykh : Well, how is the matter understood in language?
The questioner : The same thing, meaning there is no difference.
The Shaykh : My brother, this sutrah and this praying person: anything that passes between the praying person and the sutrah does not harm him, anything. Because what harms the praying person is of two types: either a deficiency in the prayer that does not invalidate it, or an invalidation of it. And these two harms occur in the same way if there is no sutrah, if this person is praying without a sutrah. Is that clear up to here?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Well, whoever passes, any passer, if this passer passes behind the place of prostration, and there is no sutrah at the place of prostration here, it does not harm him. But if he passes between his standing and the place of prostration, and there is no sutrah, if the passer is a mature woman, or a donkey, or a black dog, his prayer is invalidated, whether the one praying is a man or a woman. However, if there is a sutrah, the sutrah is a legal cause for preserving the prayer of this praying person who is using the sutrah, if one of the things that invalidate his prayer passes. So if the passer is something else, it is even more certain that it does not affect his prayer. I hope this is clear, if Allah wills.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: All right.
The Shaykh : We have no one from the people of the step, please come forward so we can see.
The students laugh.
The Shaykh : ... What about the woman?
The questioner : Is it permissible to use a woman as a sutrah, and what is the ruling on her prayer if a woman passes in front of her while she is praying?
The Shaykh : First, the woman you mean as a sutrah: is she a mahram or a non-mahram?
The questioner : A mahram, of course.
The Shaykh : A mahram, good. And she is covered with the prescribed covering, right? You would say, of course, it is not like that, otherwise the matter would go beyond its nature. And finally, it must be the predominant belief that this woman will not leave her place until the one using her as a sutrah finishes his prayer. If that is the case and these three conditions are met, it is permissible to use her as a sutrah. However, if it is the predominant belief that she will remain—this happens to us in the mosque, for example, where a person is praying and cannot find a suitable place to use as a sutrah, so he finds a person sitting and remembering Allah or praying, and he uses him as a sutrah, but then the man seems about to stand up. Before the person praying behind him prays, he must make an assessment: what is this? Well, if it is the predominant belief, the person is not burdened with investigating deeply to know the error; the predominant belief is sufficient. If it is the predominant belief that he will remain as a sutrah, he uses him as such; otherwise, he arranges his affairs. This is what I meant as the third condition. So, when this praying man uses a female mahram as a sutrah, with the notes I mentioned earlier, and then suppose a woman passed between him and her, is that not so?
The questioner : No, if the one praying is a woman and a woman passed between them.
The Shaykh : There is no harm. A woman in front of a woman is less severe than a woman in front of a man.
Laughter.The Shaykh : And you requested it.
The Shaykh: In the name of Allah.
The questioner : What is the evidence for this?
The Shaykh : Evidence for what do you want?
The questioner : For the non-invalidity of a woman's prayer if a woman passes in front of her.
The Shaykh : Because she is covered.
The questioner : And if a woman passes in front of a man and he is covered.
The Shaykh : Was he covered?
The questioner : No, he was praying and a woman passed in front of him, and she was covered.
The Shaykh : We understood: he has a sutrah, yes or no?
The questioner : He has a sutrah, yes.
The Shaykh : Then the prayer is valid.
The questioner : So what is the difference between the two?
The Shaykh : There is no difference; I did not make a distinction for you. You are asking what is the difference, what is the difference. I tell you I did not make a distinction, so why do you ask what is the difference? The previous scenario: we understood, we understood from you: a man uses a female mahram as a sutrah.
The questioner : This is our first question.
The Shaykh : No problem, how many questions do you have now?
The questioner : I have a question in two parts. The first: a man uses a mahram as a sutrah.
The questioner : A female mahram, good.
The questioner : Now, a woman is praying and has used a sutrah, and another woman passed in front of her. What is the legal ruling on that?
The Shaykh : We have not answered you on this, but it is like the first ruling, and even more so.
The questioner : Professor, by Allah, he might think that if he has a sutrah and someone passes in front of the sutrah, they think it breaks the prayer. This is a thought...The questioner .
The Shaykh : In front of the sutrah, what does that mean?
The questioner : Between the praying person and the sutrah.
The Shaykh : Well, how is the matter understood in language?
The questioner : The same thing, meaning there is no difference.
The Shaykh : My brother, this sutrah and this praying person: anything that passes between the praying person and the sutrah does not harm him, anything. Because what harms the praying person is of two types: either a deficiency in the prayer that does not invalidate it, or an invalidation of it. And these two harms occur in the same way if there is no sutrah, if this person is praying without a sutrah. Is that clear up to here?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Well, whoever passes, any passer, if this passer passes behind the place of prostration, and there is no sutrah at the place of prostration here, it does not harm him. But if he passes between his standing and the place of prostration, and there is no sutrah, if the passer is a mature woman, or a donkey, or a black dog, his prayer is invalidated, whether the one praying is a man or a woman. However, if there is a sutrah, the sutrah is a legal cause for preserving the prayer of this praying person who is using the sutrah, if one of the things that invalidate his prayer passes. So if the passer is something else, it is even more certain that it does not affect his prayer. I hope this is clear, if Allah wills.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: All right.
The Shaykh : We have no one from the people of the step, please come forward so we can see.
The students laugh.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.