184 – Sabrah ibn Maʿbad al-Juhani (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Let each of you place a screen in prayer, even if it be nothing but an arrow.” Recorded by al-Hākim (1).

Hadith grading:
The narration is ṣaḥīḥ. Imām Aḥmad included it in his Musnad (14916), and al-Haythamī remarked, “Aḥmad’s transmitters are those of the sound collections.” Al-Hākim also recorded it and declared it authentic according to the criteria of Muslim.

Vocabulary:
– “let him place a screen”: that is, let him set up a sutrah while praying.
– “an arrow”: a slender wooden shaft fitted with a metal head, shot from a bow.

Points derived from the ḥadith:

1. Setting up a sutrah in front of the worshiper is recommended in order to protect the prayer from deficiency or invalidation; this recommendation is the view of the majority.
2. The optimal sutrah is an object roughly the height of the rear of a camel saddle, as noted earlier. If he finds neither that nor anything smaller, he should at least plant an arrow—the slender wooden shaft tipped with metal used for shooting.
3. One should be keen to place a sutrah, even if it is the thinnest and smallest of objects, so that the eyes recognize a visual boundary and do not wander beyond it, the heart then refraining from following with stray thoughts and misgivings, and so that he sets a limit between himself and those who pass by, distinguishing thereby the inviolable area of his prayer from the surrounding space