Source: Fatāwā Muḥammadīyah, Vol. 1, p. 393
What do the scholars of Ahl al-Ḥadīth say regarding this matter: A man is offering Salah, and another person in front of him has completed his Salah. Can the one who has completed his Salah stand up and leave, or must he remain seated? Kindly mention the limit of passing in front of a worshipper so that it is clear whether the person leaving will be considered sinful or not.
(Question by Ḥāfiẓ Muḥammad Khān, House No. 26, Street No. 2, ʿAbdullāh Colony, Sargodha City)
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
The matter of Salah is extremely important and demands great caution. It is mentioned in a ḥadīth that for the one passing in front of a worshipper, it is better that he stand still for forty days or even longer rather than pass in front of him. The purpose of this is to emphasize that disrupting a person’s Salah or causing disturbance in it is a grave sin, and hence must be strictly avoided.
However, if someone is in urgent need and cannot wait for the worshipper to complete his Salah, then Sharīʿah has allowed him to pass by, provided he leaves a distance of three to four rows in front of the worshipper. In this case, inshāʾAllāh, the passerby will not be sinful, nor will the worshipper’s Salah be harmed.
The scholars of ḥadīth have reconciled both narrations in this manner, and both aḥādīth are mentioned in Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ, Kitāb al-Ṣalāh.
◈ The Sharʿi ruling is that if someone is at a distance of three to four rows in front of a worshipper, he may pass by.
◈ However, the better and more cautious approach is for the one who has finished his Salah to remain seated until the worshipper completes his Salah.
◈ This is the more appropriate and superior course of action.
ھذا ما عندي واللہ أعلم بالصواب
❖ Question
What do the scholars of Ahl al-Ḥadīth say regarding this matter: A man is offering Salah, and another person in front of him has completed his Salah. Can the one who has completed his Salah stand up and leave, or must he remain seated? Kindly mention the limit of passing in front of a worshipper so that it is clear whether the person leaving will be considered sinful or not.
(Question by Ḥāfiẓ Muḥammad Khān, House No. 26, Street No. 2, ʿAbdullāh Colony, Sargodha City)
❖ Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
The matter of Salah is extremely important and demands great caution. It is mentioned in a ḥadīth that for the one passing in front of a worshipper, it is better that he stand still for forty days or even longer rather than pass in front of him. The purpose of this is to emphasize that disrupting a person’s Salah or causing disturbance in it is a grave sin, and hence must be strictly avoided.
However, if someone is in urgent need and cannot wait for the worshipper to complete his Salah, then Sharīʿah has allowed him to pass by, provided he leaves a distance of three to four rows in front of the worshipper. In this case, inshāʾAllāh, the passerby will not be sinful, nor will the worshipper’s Salah be harmed.
The scholars of ḥadīth have reconciled both narrations in this manner, and both aḥādīth are mentioned in Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ, Kitāb al-Ṣalāh.
❖ Fatwa
◈ The Sharʿi ruling is that if someone is at a distance of three to four rows in front of a worshipper, he may pass by.
◈ However, the better and more cautious approach is for the one who has finished his Salah to remain seated until the worshipper completes his Salah.
◈ This is the more appropriate and superior course of action.
ھذا ما عندي واللہ أعلم بالصواب
