Ruling on Passing in Front of a Person Praying in al-Masjid al-Haram and al-Masjid al-Nabawi

Question:
What is the ruling on passing in front of a person praying in the Makkah Haram and al-Masjid al-Nabawi?


Answer:
In the Makkah Haram, it is known among the scholars that there is no blame in it, and that it does not break the prayer as long as one is inside the mosque. As for the rest of Makkah, it does break the prayer; therefore, one should place a sutrah, just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did in al-Abtah. As for inside the mosque, the crowding and hardship prevent placing a sutrah, and one is excused for this inside the mosque. Ibn al-Zubayr used to pray while people passed in front of him.
There is a hadith, though weak, that indicates that a sutrah is not required in the Haram, and that there is no blame in that. The position of the scholars is that there is no blame in that. Likewise, in al-Masjid al-Nabawi, if there is severe crowding, the cause is the same: crowding does not require a sutrah. However, if one is able to pray facing a wall or one of the pillars in al-Masjid al-Nabawi, he should do so, because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded a sutrah in prayer and said: "Such and such cuts off the prayer of a person." The point is that in al-Masjid al-Nabawi, one should place a sutrah against a wall or a pillar. Some people wanted to pass in front of Abu Sa'id in al-Masjid al-Nabawi, but he prevented them (may Allah be pleased with him and grant him satisfaction), and he cited the hadith: .
The point is that in the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) mosque, one who passes in front is prevented, except if there is severe crowding that cannot be managed. This falls under the category of the saying of Allah the Exalted: [al-Taghabun: 16]. Al-Masjid al-Haram is similar in this ruling, as it is generally a place of crowding and inability to prevent people from passing. Therefore, the scholars saw leniency in al-Masjid al-Haram, because—especially during the days of Hajj—it is generally not possible to prevent people from passing, and one is excused for this, if Allah wills. As for al-Masjid al-Nabawi, there may be crowding or there may not be. If there is severe crowding, the matter is like that in al-Masjid al-Haram: one is excused due to harm, inability, and lack of capacity.