Fatwa ID: 03517

Answered by: Maulana Mustafa Umar

Question

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘When anyone of you prays, he should not let anyone pass in front of him (if there is no sutra), and should try to turn him away as far as possible, but if he refuses to go, he should turn him away forcibly for he is a devil’. How do we implement this Hadith according to the Hanafi madhhab?

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

This hadith has been narrated by Abu Dāwūd, An-Nasā’ī, and Ibn Mājah.[1] It is recommended in the Hanafi school to stop someone who is walking in front of you. However, this should not require excessive movement otherwise it might invalidate the prayer.[2] Imam Ibn Abidin also explains that it is recommended, but not required to stop the person, since there are other narrations which indicate this is a recommendation and not an obligation.[3]

Therefore, we implement it by stopping someone either with a gesture or saying SubhanAllah. If that does not work, then we may do so with the hand as long as it does not entail much movement.

Only Allah knows best

Written by Maulana Mustafa Umar

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

[1] Al-Bināyah Sharḥ al-Hidāyah by Imam Badr Ad-Dīn Al-ʿAynī, 2:428, al-maktaba.org

[2] Kitāb Al-Aṣl of Imam Muhammad, 1:196, al-maktaba.org

[3] Raddul Muḥtār 1:636, al-maktaba.org