Ruling on Passing in Front of a Worshipper in al-Masjid al-Ḥarām

Shar‘i Ruling on Passing in Front of a Worshipper in al-Masjid al-Ḥarām


Source: Fatāwā Arkān al-Islām

Question​

What is the ruling on passing in front of someone praying in al-Masjid al-Ḥarām?
If a person is performing either an obligatory or voluntary prayer in al-Masjid al-Ḥarām, whether as a follower (muqtadī) or praying alone (munfarid), what is the Shar‘i ruling regarding passing in front of him?

Answer​

Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ‘alā Rasūlillāh, ammā ba‘d:

Passing in Front of a Muqtadī​

• If the worshipper is a follower (muqtadī), then whether in al-Masjid al-Ḥarām or any other mosque, there is no harm in passing in front of him.
• This is because the imām serves as the sutrah (barrier) for the followers.

Evidence:
Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما said:


When I came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at Minā, he was leading the people in prayer without any wall in front of him. I passed in front of part of the row while riding on a donkey, and no one objected to me.
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, ḥadīth 76)

Passing in Front of an Imām or a Munfarid​

• If the worshipper is the imām or praying alone, it is not permissible to pass in front of him.
• This ruling is the same in al-Masjid al-Ḥarām as it is elsewhere.
• The reason is that the general evidences prohibit passing in front of a praying person.
• There is no authentic Shar‘i evidence permitting passing in front of an imām or munfarid specifically in Makkah or al-Masjid al-Ḥarām, nor indicating that the passer-by would be free from sin there.

هٰذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب