❖ Prohibition of Stepping Over Necks on Jumu‘ah and Its Ruling
✍ Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
❖ Obligation Upon the Attendee of Jumu‘ah: Do Not Step Over Necks
➊ Narration of ʿAbdullah ibn Busr (رضي الله عنه)
A man came to the Friday prayer while stepping over people’s necks, and the Prophet ﷺ was delivering the khutbah. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to him:
اجلس فقد آذيت
“Sit down, for indeed you have caused harm.”
[Sahih: Sahih al-Nasa’i: 1326 | Ahmad: 4/188 | Abu Dawud: 1118 | Kitab al-Salah: Bab on Stepping Over Necks on Jumu‘ah | Nasa’i: 3/102 | Ibn Khuzaymah: 1811 | Ibn Hibban: 2790]
➋ From the Hadith on the Virtues That Lead to Forgiveness Between Two Jumu‘ahs
One of the conditions mentioned is:
ولا يفرق بين اثنين
“He does not separate between two people (by stepping between them).”
[Bukhari: 883, 910 | Kitab al-Jumu‘ah: Bab al-Duhn lil-Jumu‘ah | Ahmad: 5/438 | Dārimī: 1/362]
➌ Narration of Muʿādh ibn Anas (رضي الله عنه)
The Prophet ﷺ said:
من تخطى رقاب الناس يوم الجمعة اتخذ جسرا إلى جهنم
“Whoever steps over people’s necks on Friday, a bridge will be made for him to Hellfire.”
[Weak: Daʿīf al-Tirmidhi: 79 | Kitab al-Jumu‘ah: Bab on Dislike of Stepping Over People | Mishkat: 1392 | Tirmidhi: 513 | Ibn Majah: 1116 | Ahmad: 3/437]
— Shaykh Ahmad Shākir graded it ḥasan, while Shaykh Muhammad Subhi Hasan Hallaq considered it weak.
[Sharḥ al-Tirmidhi: 2/379 | Taʿliq ʿala al-Rawḍah al-Nadiyyah: 1/348]
➍ Narration of Arqam ibn Abī Arqam al-Makhzūmī (رضي الله عنه)
The Prophet ﷺ said regarding one who steps over people’s necks or separates between two individuals after the Imam has arrived:
كالحار قصبه فى النار
“He is like one who drags his intestines in the Fire.”
[Weak: Ahmad: 3/417 | Al-Haythamī: Its chain contains Hishām ibn Ziyād, who is unanimously weak — Majmaʿ al-Zawāʾid: 2/179 | See also: Mizān al-Iʿtidāl: 4/298]
❖ Scholarly Rulings
◈ Hanābilah (Ḥanbalīs):
➤ Stepping over necks during the khutbah is makrūh (discouraged).
◈ Imam Nawawī (رحمه الله):
➤ It is harām (prohibited); this is also reported from Imam al-Shāfiʿī (رحمه الله).
◈ Ibn al-Qayyim (رحمه الله):
➤ Categorized it among major sins (kabāʾir).
[Nayl al-Awṭār: 2/540 | Tuḥfat al-Aḥwadhī: 3/62 | Al-Rawḍah al-Nadiyyah: 1/348]
❖ Exceptions to the Ruling
✔ The Imam is exempt, or
✔ One who sees an empty space ahead and cannot reach it without stepping over is also excused.
[Fatḥ al-Bārī: 2/392]
✔ Imam Nawawī (رحمه الله) said:
If the Imam cannot reach the minbar or mihrab without stepping over, it is not makrūh, as this is necessity.
[Al-Majmūʿ: 4/420]
❖ Stepping Over Necks Outside of Jumu‘ah (When Necessary)
From one hadith, it is evident that outside of Jumu‘ah, stepping over people in case of need is permissible:
Narration of ʿUqbah ibn Ḥāriṯ (رضي الله عنه)
“I offered ʿAṣr behind the Prophet ﷺ in Madinah. After completing the prayer, he hurriedly stood up and stepped over people’s necks, heading toward one of his wives’ rooms. When he returned, he said:
‘I remembered a piece of gold with us which was left unspent, and I disliked for it to keep me distracted, so I ordered it to be distributed.’”
[Bukhari: 851, 1221 | Kitab al-Adhān: Bab on the Imam Leaving for a Need After Leading Prayer | Nasa’i: 1/406]
✅ Conclusion:
✔ Stepping over people’s necks during the Friday khutbah is prohibited and considered a serious offense.
✔ It causes harm, disrupts the gathering, and violates the etiquette of the masjid.
✔ Exceptions apply only for the Imam or someone filling an obvious gap in the rows.
✔ Outside Jumu‘ah, in cases of urgent necessity, stepping over may be tolerated based on authentic Sunnah.
