Q & A : Praying in the Sacred Mosque

Rahma - Poland

Question : Passing in Front of a Praying Person in the Sacred Mosque

Date - 01/Jun/2005


Dear scholars, as-salamu `alaykum. Is it permissible to offer prayer in the Sacred Mosque in Makkah while people pass in front of the those who are praying? Jazakum Allah khayran.

Answer :

Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Dear questioner, we would like to thank you for the great confidence you place in us, and we implore Allah, the Almighty to help us serve His cause and render our work for His Sake alone.

It is permissible to offer prayer in the Sacred Mosque in Makkah while the people are passing in front of the praying person and this is one of the special characteristics of the Sacred Mosque.

In this regard, we will cite what Sheikh Sayyed Sabiq states in his well-known book, Fiqh As-Sunnah:

It is permissible to offer prayer in the Sacred Mosque in Makkah while the people, male or female, are passing in front of the worshipper. There is no harm in it, and it is one of the special characteristics of the Sacred Mosque.

Kathir Ibn Kathir Ibn Al-Muttalib bin Wida`ah reported from some of his relatives and from his grandfather that he said: "I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) offering prayer in the Sacred Mosque in the area adjacent to Bani Sahm while people were passing in front of him but he did not place any sutrah (something that a praying person puts in front of him in order to alert people that they should not pass in front of him while praying) in front of him.”

Sufyan Ibn `Uyainah said, "There was no sutrah between him and the Ka`bah." (Abu Dawud, An-Nasa’i, and Ibn Majah)