Concerning the sutrah placed in front of the worshiper

Regarding the author’s ruling: “It is recommended (mustahabb) for the one who prays to place a sutrah in front of him….”

I say: Declaring it merely recommended conflicts with the explicit command to use a sutrah found in several hadiths—one of which the author himself cited—and in some of them there is a direct prohibition against praying without a sutrah. Ibn Khuzaymah even entitled a chapter of his Sahih accordingly and, together with Muslim, transmitted the marfuʿ report of Ibn ʿUmar: “Do not pray except toward a sutrah….”

What further underscores its obligatory nature is that the sutrah constitutes a lawful means by which the prayer is not invalidated when an adult woman, a donkey, or a black dog passes in front of the worshiper, as is authentically established. It also allows him to prevent a passer-by from crossing in front of him, among other rulings tied to the sutrah. The view that it is obligatory was adopted by al-Shawkani in Nayl al-Awtar 3/2 and al-Sayl al-Jarrar 1/176, and it is the apparent position of Ibn Hazm in al-Muhalla 4/8–15.

His statement under number 1: “From Abu Hurayrah who said: Abu al-Qasim ﷺ said, ‘When any of you prays, let him place something in front of his face; if he cannot find anything, let him set up a staff; and if not even a staff, then let him draw a line, and whatever passes in front of him thereafter will not harm him.’” It was narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, and Ibn Hibban—who declared it sound—as did Ahmad and Ibn al-Madini. Al-Bayhaqi said, “There is no problem with this hadith for this ruling, God willing.”

I say: The isnad of this hadith is weak and not authentic. Although those cited by the author graded it sound, a larger number of scholars—and with stronger evidence—have judged it weak. Indeed, even the verdict reported from Ahmad varies: al-Hafiz states in Tahdhib al-Tahdhib that Ahmad said, “The line is weak.” Al-Hafiz also mentioned in al-Talkhis that Ahmad authenticated it, quoting Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr’s al-Istidhkar, and then added: “It was deemed weak by Sufyan ibn ʿUyaynah, al-Shafiʿi, al-Baghawi, and others.”