Bukhari

Hadith Commentary:
1.
According to Imam Bukhari rahimahullah, in front of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam there was a sutrah (barrier) other than a wall.
When Ibn Abbas radi Allahu anhu passed in front of people standing in prayer, no one objected, because all of them were praying with a sutrah, so there was no question of anyone objecting. The negation of the wall is only beneficial when some other thing is accepted as a sutrah; otherwise, this negation would be meaningless. However, Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah, who is highly skilled in reconciling hadiths with their chapter headings, states at this point that Imam Bukhari’s rahimahullah inference from this hadith is questionable, because it is not explicitly mentioned that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was praying with a sutrah. Rather, Imam Bayhaqi rahimahullah has titled this hadith as follows:
“The narration regarding praying without a sutrah.”
Even more important is that Imam Shafi’i rahimahullah has explained the meaning of ‘ila ghayri jidar’ as that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was praying without a sutrah.
Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah has further written that, while explaining this hadith in Kitab al-‘Ilm, we also mentioned the narration of Bazzar in support of Imam Shafi’i’s rahimahullah position.
(Fath al-Bari: 1/739)
With reference to Musnad Bazzar, Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah has quoted the aforementioned narration in these words: The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was praying and there was nothing in front of him as a sutrah.
(Fath al-Bari: 1/226)
2.
Although all these points apparently seem correct, if one reflects on the words of the hadith, Imam Bukhari’s rahimahullah position appears to be correct, because the words in the hadith are ‘ila ghayri jidar’ and the word ‘ghayr’ is always used for a descriptive attribute. Therefore, the implied phrase would be:
(yusalli bin-nasi bimina ila ghayri jidar)
That is, the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was leading the people in prayer at Mina facing something other than a wall.
Furthermore, the general practice of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was that when he led prayer in an open space, he would establish a sutrah. Therefore, it is better, in accordance with the Prophetic practice, to take the meaning of Ibn Abbas’s radi Allahu anhu words as Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has understood. Also, Ibn Abbas radi Allahu anhu is saying that no one objected to his action.
This too is Imam Bukhari’s rahimahullah evidence, because when a sutrah was established, there was no opportunity for anyone to object.
While explaining this narration, Allamah ‘Ayni rahimahullah writes:
“The relevance of this hadith to the chapter heading is that the words ‘ila ghayri jidar’ indicate that there was a sutrah there, because the word ‘ghayr’ is always used for a descriptive attribute.
The implied phrase would be: ‘towards something other than a wall’—that thing could be a staff, a spear, or something else.”
(‘Umdat al-Qari: 2/569)
Shah Waliullah Muhaddith Dehlawi rahimahullah writes regarding this hadith in Sharh Tarajim Bukhari:
“The purpose of Imam Bukhari rahimahullah with this chapter heading is that the sutrah of the imam is sufficient for the followers.
If someone passes in front of the followers in the presence of the imam’s sutrah, he will not be sinful.
And Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has also indicated that it is not correct to interpret ‘ila ghayri jidar’ as ‘ila ghayri sutrah’ as Imam Shafi’i rahimahullah did. Rather, its meaning is that there was a sutrah in front of him other than a wall, even if it was a spear or lance, etc., because it is also established from the study of the Prophet’s sallallahu alayhi wa sallam practices that when he prayed in the desert or open space, a spear would be planted in front of him. For this reason, there is a problem in Ibn Abbas’s radi Allahu anhu inference, because the reason no one objected was that the prayer of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was towards a sutrah, and the sutrah of the congregation is the same as the sutrah of the imam.
This is the apparent meaning of the hadith; understand it well.
It is also possible to interpret Imam Shafi’i’s rahimahullah statement ‘ila ghayri sutrah’ as meaning that prayer was performed without the sutrah of a wall.
This does not negate the sutrah absolutely.
With this interpretation, there remains no difference between the position of Imam Shafi’i rahimahullah and the other hadith scholars.”
It should be noted that although in the Arabic language the word ‘ghayr’ is also used for absolute negation, from Imam Bukhari’s rahimahullah usage it is evident that in this hadith ‘ghayr’ is used as a descriptive attribute. On the basis of this meaning, the benefit of negating the wall becomes clear, and if there was neither a wall nor any other thing, then negating the wall would be meaningless.
Our comments regarding the hadith that Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah has mentioned with reference to Musnad Bazzar have already been presented.

Hadith Authentication:
[وأخرجه البخاري 493، ومسلم 504، من حديث مالك به نحو المعنٰي]

Jurisprudential Points:
➊ The imam’s sutrah (prayer barrier) is considered the sutrah for the followers (muqtadis).
➋ Placing a sutrah in prayer is an emphasized Sunnah (sunnah mu’akkadah). Also see: [التمهيد 193/4]
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “If any one of you places a sutrah in front of him equal to the rear end of a camel’s saddle (about a forearm’s length), then he should pray, and if anyone passes beyond that sutrah, it will not harm him.” [صحيح مسلم : 499]
➌ Placing a sutrah in prayer is not obligatory (wajib). Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (radi Allahu anhuma) said: The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was leading people in prayer at Mina without a wall in front of him. [صحيح بخاري : 493]
In explanation of this, Imam Shafi’i (rahimahullah) said: “Without a sutrah.” [كتاب اختلاف الحديث مع الام ص 1746، فتح الباري ج 1 ص 571، السنن الكبريٰ للبيهقي 273/2]
● Imam Shu’bah asked his teacher Amr ibn Murrah (the narrator of the hadith): Was there a spear in front of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)? He replied: No. [مسند على بن الجعد : 90 و سنده صحيح، مسند ابي يعلٰي 312/4 ح 2423]
● There are also supporting narrations in [مسندالبزار البحر الزخار 201/11 ح 4951] and others.
➍ Yahya ibn Abi Kathir said: I saw Sayyiduna Anas ibn Malik (radi Allahu anhu) in Masjid al-Haram; he had planted his staff and was praying facing it. [مصنف ابن ابي شيبه 277/1 ح 2853 وسنده صحيح]
◄ It is thus clear that if someone prays in the mosque with a sutrah, this action is completely correct.
➎ Hisham ibn Urwah said: My father (Urwah ibn al-Zubayr, rahimahullah) used to pray without a sutrah. [مصنف ابن ابي شيبه 279/1 ح 2871 وسنده حسن]
● Hasan al-Basri prayed in the open desert without a sutrah. [مصنف ابن ابي شيبه 279/1 ح 2872 وسنده صحيح]