Does a child interrupt the prayer by passing in front of or sitting in the qiblah?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Does a child interrupt the prayer by passing in front of or sitting in the qiblah?
The Shaykh : A child does not interrupt the prayer if he passes in front of the praying person and his sutrah, whether he is a boy or a girl, because the things that interrupt the prayer are three: a mature woman, a black dog, and a donkey.
If any of these three, or one of them, passes in front of the praying person or between him and his sutrah, it interrupts his prayer, and it is obligatory for him to start the prayer over again. Anything other than these does not interrupt the prayer, but it diminishes it because it stands between a person and his qiblah.
This applies to passing by; as for sitting, it does not harm. In other words, it is permissible for a person to pray behind someone who is sitting, whether that person is a child or an adult, a boy or a girl. However, it is not recommended to face children, meaning to pray while they are in one's qiblah, because they disturb the praying person. Children are bound to move and play, and in that case, the praying person is disturbed.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : A child does not interrupt the prayer if he passes in front of the praying person and his sutrah, whether he is a boy or a girl, because the things that interrupt the prayer are three: a mature woman, a black dog, and a donkey.
If any of these three, or one of them, passes in front of the praying person or between him and his sutrah, it interrupts his prayer, and it is obligatory for him to start the prayer over again. Anything other than these does not interrupt the prayer, but it diminishes it because it stands between a person and his qiblah.
This applies to passing by; as for sitting, it does not harm. In other words, it is permissible for a person to pray behind someone who is sitting, whether that person is a child or an adult, a boy or a girl. However, it is not recommended to face children, meaning to pray while they are in one's qiblah, because they disturb the praying person. Children are bound to move and play, and in that case, the praying person is disturbed.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.