Is Sutrah Necessary in the Mosque?
Adapted from: “Sutrah ke Mukhtaṣar Aḥkām wa Masā’il” by Qāḍī Ibrāhīm Sharīf
Ruling in Brief
Whether in the open desert or inside a mosque, whether travelling or at home, whether offering an obligatory prayer or a voluntary one – using a sutrah is necessary in all situations.
Evidence from the Sunnah
1. Practice of the Prophet ﷺ in the Mosque
Yazīd ibn Abī ʿUbayd said:
“I used to come with Salamah ibn al-Akwaʿ رضي الله عنه and he would pray near the pillar close to the muṣḥaf. I asked: ‘O Abū Muslim, I see you always take care to pray by this pillar.’ He replied: ‘I saw the Prophet ﷺ seeking to pray near it.’”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 502 – Kitāb al-Ṣalāh, Bāb Sitrat al-Muṣallī)
2. Practice of the Companions in Masjid al-Nabawī
The Companions رضي الله عنهم would take a sutrah in Masjid al-Nabawī. Apart from the obligatory prayers, they would perform their other prayers facing the mosque’s pillars and would even compete to get a place behind the pillars.
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 503 – Kitāb al-Ṣalāh)
3. Anas ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه in Masjid al-Ḥarām
Yaḥyā ibn Abī Kathīr narrated:
“I saw Anas ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه in Masjid al-Ḥarām; he had planted a stick (staff) in the ground and was praying towards it.”
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah, Kitāb al-Ṣalawāt, Bāb Qadr Kam Yastur al-Muṣallī?, 2853)
4. Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما Using a Person as Sutrah
Nāfiʿ رحمه الله said:
“When ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما could not find a way to a pillar among the pillars of the mosque, he would say to me: ‘Turn your back towards me (so that you serve as my sutrah).’”
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah, Bāb al-Rajul Yastur al-Rajul Idhā Ṣallā Ilayh Am Lā?, 2878)
Conclusion
The authentic narrations show that:
- The Prophet ﷺ himself used a sutrah in the mosque.
- The Companions took great care to use sutrah even inside the two sacred mosques.
- It is permissible to use a person as a sutrah when no object is available.
- The ruling applies equally in all locations – mosque or otherwise.
Thus, using a sutrah in the mosque is not optional, but part of the prophetic way of performing ṣalāh.
