Shar‘i Ruling on Stepping Over People on Friday and the Guidance of the Prophet ﷺ
Source: Fatawa Arkan al-Islam
Question
What is the ruling on someone who steps over people during Jumu‘ah?
Answer
Alhamdulillah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
It is not permissible to walk through the rows or step over people during the khutbah of Jumu‘ah.
- Such a person should be made to sit down.
- He should not be addressed verbally during the khutbah; rather, he should be signaled or lightly pulled by the garment to indicate he should sit.
- The best approach is that the khatib himself should address such behavior, as the Prophet ﷺ did.
Prophetic Guidance
Once, while the Prophet ﷺ was delivering the khutbah, he saw a man stepping over people’s necks. He ﷺ said to him:
“اِجْلِسْ فَقَدْ آذَیْتَ“
“Sit down, for you have caused harm.”
[Sunan Ibn Majah, Iqamat al-Salah, Bab ma ja’a fi al-nahy ‘an takhatti al-nas yawm al-jumu‘ah, Hadith: 1115; Musnad Ahmad: 4/188]
