Ibn 'Abbas's statement: (He prays in Mina facing anything other than a wall) — does this indicate that a sutrah is not obligatory?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Ibn 'Abbas's statement: Sahih al-Bukhari 76 Does this indicate the absence of a sutrah?
The Shaykh : Yes, some scholars have cited this as evidence that a sutrah is not obligatory, while others have countered this, stating that he said "facing anything other than a wall," and that the negation of the specific does not necessitate the negation of the general. It is well known that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would carry a staff on his travels and pray facing it. Those who said it is evidence that a sutrah is not obligatory argued that if a sutrah were not required, Ibn 'Abbas's statement would have no purpose. Ibn 'Abbas mentioned this to clarify that the donkey passed by while the imam was praying facing anything other than a sutrah. Therefore, the hadith is ambiguous, and the principle is that when ambiguity exists, the argument is invalid.
"A reading from Fath al-Bari"
The student: He said: "And this is supported by the narration of al-Bazzar, which states: 'And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would pray the obligatory prayer without anything to serve as a sutrah for him'"
The Shaykh : If this wording is authentic, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prays facing something,
The student: Not facing anything to serve as a sutrah for him
The student: He says: "And this is supported by the narration of al-Bazzar, which states: 'And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would pray the obligatory prayer without anything to serve as a sutrah for him'"
The Shaykh : Not facing anything to serve as a sutrah for him. If this narration is authentic, then this would be clear evidence.
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was offering the prayer at Mina. There was no wall in front of him
يصلي بمنًى إلى غير جدارThe Shaykh : Yes, some scholars have cited this as evidence that a sutrah is not obligatory, while others have countered this, stating that he said "facing anything other than a wall," and that the negation of the specific does not necessitate the negation of the general. It is well known that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would carry a staff on his travels and pray facing it. Those who said it is evidence that a sutrah is not obligatory argued that if a sutrah were not required, Ibn 'Abbas's statement would have no purpose. Ibn 'Abbas mentioned this to clarify that the donkey passed by while the imam was praying facing anything other than a sutrah. Therefore, the hadith is ambiguous, and the principle is that when ambiguity exists, the argument is invalid.
"A reading from Fath al-Bari"
The student: He said: "And this is supported by the narration of al-Bazzar, which states: 'And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would pray the obligatory prayer without anything to serve as a sutrah for him'"
The Shaykh : If this wording is authentic, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prays facing something,
The student: Not facing anything to serve as a sutrah for him
The student: He says: "And this is supported by the narration of al-Bazzar, which states: 'And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would pray the obligatory prayer without anything to serve as a sutrah for him'"
The Shaykh : Not facing anything to serve as a sutrah for him. If this narration is authentic, then this would be clear evidence.