wish; hence this ḥadith may be taken at face value: the devil comes in the form of this colour of dog in order to spoil a Muslim’s prayer.

7 – It is recommended to place a sutrah (prayer-screen) in front of the worshipper, for it protects his prayer from deficiency or annulment; it is a safeguard for the prayer and a rampart against anything that might diminish or corrupt it.

8 – The highest and best sutrah is one whose height equals the back of a saddle. Failing that, he should set up whatever he can, even if only a line drawn on the ground, as will be discussed, Allah willing.

9 – The wisdom—Allah knows best—behind these things’ cutting off the prayer is as follows:
• The woman: she is a source of temptation and distraction of the heart, something incompatible with the rank and dignity of prayer. For this reason Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (1403) relates, on the authority of Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh, that the Prophet ﷺ said: “When a woman goes out, Satan presents her in the form of a devil. If one of you sees a woman and is attracted to her, let him go to his wife, for she has what that woman has.”

10 – The coupling of the woman with these two impure animals is not to demean her; rather, it points to another quality a woman might well wish for—her attractiveness and the inclination of hearts toward her—yet that quality conflicts with the state of worship.

11 – The donkey: it may have a connection with the devils, who like to be near it and frequent its haunts. Thus al-Bukhārī (2303) records from Abū Hurayrah that the Prophet ﷺ said: “When you hear the braying of donkeys, seek refuge in Allah from Satan, for they have seen a devil.” The donkey’s voice is also repugnant; Allah the Exalted says, “Indeed, the most disagreeable of sounds is the voice of donkeys” ⦗31:19⦘. The worshipper may be subjected to that harsh bray, repeated time after time, until it disrupts the prayer.

12 – The dog: either it is the devil himself who has assumed the form of a dog—the devil being the epitome of evil and corruption—or it is that filthy, impure animal whose contamination can only be removed by repeated washing with water and earth; and the one in question is the jet-black dog.