Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah

Some scholars are of the opinion that this hadith is contrary to the statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "A donkey, a dog, and a woman interrupt the prayer."

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that I and Fadl (may Allah be pleased with them both) came riding on a donkey while the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was leading the people in prayer at Arafat. We passed in front of some of the rows, then we dismounted from it and let it graze, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not say anything to us. In the narration of Abdul Jabbar, it is stated: "The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not forbid us." The wording in the narration of Makhzumi is: "He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not say anything to us." Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that Imam Ma'mar and Malik narrated it in such a way that "He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was leading the people in prayer at Mina."

In the narration of Hazrat Mu’ammar (may Allah have mercy on him), these words are mentioned: “And a donkey passed in front of the people, but it did not break their prayer.” And in the narration of Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him), these words are mentioned: “I was riding a donkey, so I left it between the rows and I myself joined the prayer, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not scold me (because of this action).” Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that in this hadith it is not stated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saw the donkey passing or grazing in front of the rows. Nor is it mentioned that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was aware of this matter. Therefore, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not order those individuals to repeat their prayer in front of whom the donkey had passed. And this hadith is established and authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that a black dog, a menstruating woman, and a donkey break the prayer. Therefore, until a hadith contrary to this is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), it is not permissible to give a fatwa or adopt an opinion against the established hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that I and a boy from Banu Hashim came riding on a donkey or two donkeys, and I passed in front of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) while he was praying (and by our passing), the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did not break his prayer. And two girls from Banu Abdul Muttalib came and they held the knees of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), so he separated both of them but did not break his prayer. Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that there is no evidence in this hadith that a donkey passed in front of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). Rather, he only said that I passed in front of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). And this wording indicates that Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) passed in front of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) after getting down from the donkey, because he said that I passed in front of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) while he was praying.

In the narration of Imam Shu’bah from Ubaidullah bin Musa, these words are present: So we passed in front of you (the Prophet ﷺ), then we dismounted from the donkey and joined you in the prayer. It is impossible to give preference to Ubaidullah bin Musa over Muhammad bin Ja’far, especially in the hadith of Imam Shu’bah. Even if Muhammad bin Ja’far opposes several narrators like Ubaidullah bin Musa in the hadith of Imam Shu’bah, still Muhammad bin Ja’far will be given preference over them. The same narration has been reported by Mansur bin Mu’tamir from Suhaib with his chain. He says: We were present in the company of Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them), so we mentioned those things which invalidate the prayer. The attendees said that the prayer is invalidated by a donkey and a woman (passing in front of the praying person). So Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) said: I and a boy from Banu Abdul Muttalib came riding together on a donkey while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was leading the people in prayer in an open place. So we left the donkey in front of him, then we came and entered (the prayer) in front of him. The Prophet ﷺ did not mind this. And (once) the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was praying when two girls from Banu Abdul Muttalib came fighting. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ caught both of them and separated one girl from the other. And the Prophet ﷺ did not mind this at all.

Imam Abu Bakr, may Allah have mercy on him, says that the apparent meaning of this hadith is also like the hadith of Ubaidullah bin Abdullah from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, that the donkey passed in front of the companions of the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and not in front of the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, himself. And in this hadith, it is also not mentioned that the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was aware of this matter. But even if it had been mentioned in the hadith that the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, became aware that the donkey had passed in front of some of his followers, still the sutrah of the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, would have been sufficient for his followers. Because when the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used to lead the prayer in the Eid ground, he would make a spear as a sutrah. And if the sutrah of the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was not considered a sutrah for the followers, then every worshipper would have had to make a sutrah with a spear like the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Therefore, the raising of the spear as a sutrah for the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and his not commanding the followers to make a (separate) sutrah, is evidence that the sutrah of the imam is the sutrah of the followers.

Imam Ibn Khuzaymah narrates from Ibn Jurayj, from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), who says: I and Fadl came riding on a donkey, and we passed in front of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) at Arafat while he was leading the obligatory prayer. There was nothing serving as a sutrah (barrier) between us and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).

Imam Abu Bakr, may Allah have mercy on him, says that it is neither permissible nor correct to take the narration of Abdul Karim from Mujahid as proof and evidence over the narration of Imam Zuhri from Ubaidullah bin Abdullah. And this narration from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, has also been reported in a meaning contrary to this.

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that at Arafat, a spear was fixed in front of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), so he used it as a sutrah and performed prayer, while a donkey was behind the spear. Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that this narration is contrary to the narration of Abdul Karim from Mujahid. Because in that narration, the donkey was behind the spear, while the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had fixed the spear in front of him at Arafat and used it as a sutrah to perform prayer. In the narration of Abdul Karim from Mujahid, it is mentioned that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was leading the obligatory prayer, while there was no sutrah between us and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The narrations of Abdul Karim and Hakam bin Aban are almost similar in terms of transmission. Because the scholars of hadith have criticized using the narration of Abdul Karim as evidence and proof—and the condition of the narration of Hakam bin Aban is similar. However, the narration of Hakam bin Aban is supported in terms of transmission by authentic ahadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Whereas the authentic ahadith narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) reject the narration of Abdul Karim from Mujahid. And this action which Abdul Karim has narrated from Mujahid (may Allah have mercy on him) from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), regarding this, prohibition from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has already been established. Hazrat Sahl bin Abi Hathmah narrates from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: "When any one of you performs prayer, he should pray using a sutrah, and he should stand close to the sutrah so that Satan cannot cut off his prayer."

The narration of Hazrat Aun bin Abi Juhaifah from his father is that the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) started to pray after planting a spear, while behind it a dog, a woman, and a donkey were passing by. And in the narration of Hazrat Rabee’ bin Sabrah Jahni from the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him), it is stated: “Make a sutrah in your prayer, even if it is only with an arrow.” And in the narration of Sayyiduna Abu Sa’eed Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him), it is stated: “When any one of you prays, he should face towards a sutrah and should stand close to the sutrah.” Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that all these narrations are authentic, that the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) has ordered the one who prays to make a sutrah in his prayer. Whereas Abdul Kareem has narrated from Mujahid from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed in an open field without a sutrah, because in the blessed era of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) there was no such structure in Arafat which he (peace be upon him) could use as a sutrah, even though he (peace be upon him) forbade the one who prays from praying without a sutrah. And in the narration of Sadaqah bin Yasar, he says that I heard Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) saying that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Do not pray without making a sutrah.” And in the narration of Musa bin Talhah from his respected father, there is evidence that when a donkey passes in front of the one who is praying and there is no sutrah in front of him, then the passing of the donkey in front of him will harm his prayer.

Hazrat Musa bin Talha narrates from his esteemed father, who says: We used to pray in such a state that cattle would pass in front of us. We asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) about this, so he (peace be upon him) said: "If any of you has something in front of him equal to the back piece of a camel's saddle, then whatever passes in front will not harm him."

Hazrat Musa bin Talha’s respected father narrates from the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) that he (peace be upon him) said: “Any one of you should place something equal to the rear wooden part of a camel saddle (as a sutrah) in front of him, then things passing in front of him will not harm him.” Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that in the statement of the Prophet (peace be upon him), “When any one of you has something equal to the rear wooden part of a camel saddle in front of him, then things passing in front of him will not harm him,” there is clear evidence that if he does not have a sutrah equal to the rear wooden part of a camel saddle in front of him, then the animals passing in front of him will harm him. And those animals whose passing in front of him is harmful are only those about whom the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) has stated that they break the prayer, and they are the donkey and the black dog, as Mustafa (peace be upon him) has said. Other animals are not meant, which do not break the prayer.