What is the ruling on the sutrah in prayer, and what is its measure?
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The questioner : His EminenceThe Shaykh : What is the ruling on the sutrah, and what is its measure?
The Shaykh : The sutrah in prayer is a confirmed recommended practice (sunnah muakkadah), except for the ma'mum (one praying behind the imam). As for the ma'mum, it is not recommended for him to have a sutrah, relying instead on the imam's sutrah.
As for its measure, it was mentioned in the hadith: And in another hadith narrated by Abu Dawud with a good chain of narration: Bulugh al-Maram 2:103.
Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar said in Bulugh al-Maram: "He who claimed that it is contradictory was mistaken, for there is no defect in the hadith that necessitates its rejection."
So we say: its minimum is a line, and its maximum is like the back of a saddle. It is a recommended practice (sunnah) for the imam and the one praying alone, but not for the ma'mum.
The Shaykh : The sutrah in prayer is a confirmed recommended practice (sunnah muakkadah), except for the ma'mum (one praying behind the imam). As for the ma'mum, it is not recommended for him to have a sutrah, relying instead on the imam's sutrah.
As for its measure, it was mentioned in the hadith:
When one of you prays, let him have a barrier, even if it is an arrow.
إذا صلى أحدكم فليستتر ولو بسهمbut if he has no stick with him he should draw a line
أن من لم يكن فليخط خطاًAl-Hafiz Ibn Hajar said in Bulugh al-Maram: "He who claimed that it is contradictory was mistaken, for there is no defect in the hadith that necessitates its rejection."
So we say: its minimum is a line, and its maximum is like the back of a saddle. It is a recommended practice (sunnah) for the imam and the one praying alone, but not for the ma'mum.