Sutrah (Barrier in Prayer)

I used to accompany Salama bin Al-Akwa` and he used to pray behind the pillar which was near the place where the Qur'ans were kept. I said, "O Abu Muslim! I see you always seeking to pray behind this pillar." He replied, "I saw Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) always seeking to pray near that pillar."

I saw the most famous people amongst the companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) hurrying towards the pillars at the Maghrib prayer before the Prophet (ﷺ) came for the prayer.

`Abdullah bin `Umar said, "Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) entered the Ka`ba along with Usama bin Zaid, Bilal and `Uthman bin Talha Al-Hajabi and closed the door and stayed there for some time. I asked Bilal when he came out, 'What did the Prophet (ﷺ) do?' He replied, 'He offered prayer with one pillar to his left and one to his right and three behind.' In those days the Ka`ba was supported by six pillars." Malik said: "There were two pillars on his (the Prophet's) right side."

The things which annul prayer were mentioned before me (and those were): a dog, a donkey and a woman. I said, "You have compared us (women) to donkeys and dogs. By Allah! I saw the Prophet (ﷺ) praying while I used to lie in (my) bed between him and the Qibla. Whenever I was in need of something, I disliked to sit and trouble the Prophet. So, I would slip away by the side of his feet."

My bed was beside the praying place (Musalla) of the Prophet (ﷺ) and sometimes his garment fell on me while I used to lie in my bed.

When this verse was revealed:" And warn your nearest kindred (al-Qur'an, xxvi. 214), the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) called the Quraish; so they gathered and he gave them a general warning. Then he made a particular (reference to certain tribes) and said: O sons of Ka'b b. Luwayy, rescue yourselves from the Fire; O sons of Murra b. Ka'b, rescue yourselves from the Fire: O sons of Abd Shams, rescue yourselves from the Fire; 0 sons of Abd Manaf rescue yourselves from the Fire; O sons of Hashim, rescue yourselves from the Fire; 0 sons of Abd al-Muttalib, rescue yourselves from the Fire; O Fatimah, rescue yourself from the Fire, for I have no power (to protect you) from Allah in anything except this that I would sustain relationship with you.

The same hadith is narrated by Ubaidallah b. Umar al-Qawariri from Abu 'Uwana, who transmitted it to 'Abd al-Malik b. 'Umair on the same chain of transmitter and the hadith of Jarir is more perfect and comprehensive.

This hadith is narrated from the Apostle (ﷺ) by another chain of narrators, 'Amr al-Naqid, Mu'awiya b. 'Amr, Abdullah b. Dhakwan, A'raj on the authority of Abu Huraira.

This hadith is narrated from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) by another chain of narrators, Muhammad b. Abd al-A'la, Mu'tamir, Abu 'Uthman, Zuhair b. 'Amr, Qabisa b. Mukhariq.

Messenger of Allah, have you benefited Abu Talib in any way for he defended you and was fervent in your defence? The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Yes; he would be in the most shallow part of the Fire: and but for me he would have been in the lowest part of Hell.

When you place in front of you something such as the back of a saddle, then there is no harm if someone passes in front of you (i.e. the other side of it).

When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would go out (for prayer) on the day of 'Id, he ordered to bring a lance, it was then setup in front of him and he would pray in its direction, and the people (stood) behind him. He used to do so during journey ; hence the rulers would take it (lance with them).

The Prophet (ﷺ) led them in prayer at al-Batha', with a staff set up in front of him. (He prayed) two rak'ahs of the Zuhr prayer and two rak'ahs of the 'Asr prayer. The women and the donkeys would pass in front of the staff.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: "If one who passes in front of a man who is praying knew the responsibility he incurs, he would prefer to stand still for forty. . . rather than pass in front of him. Abu al-Nadr said: I do not know whether he said forty days, or months, or years."

Abu Dawud: Sufyan al-Thawri said: If a man passes proudly in front of me while I am praying, I shall stop him, and if a weak man passes, I shall not stop him.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said to her, "It is better for you to go back to your husband." She asked: "O Messenger of Allah, do you order me to do so." He replied, "I only intercede" She then said: "I have no need for him".

[Al-Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "On every joint of man, there is charity, on everyday when the sun rises: doing justice between two men is charity, and assisting a man to ride an animal or to load his luggage on it is charity; and a good word is charity, every step which one takes towards (the mosque for) Salat is charity, and removing harmful things from the way is charity".

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) heard the voices of altercation of two disputants at the door; both the voices were quite loud. One was asking the other to make his debts little (so that he could pay them) and was pleading with him to show leniency to him, whereupon the (other one) said: "By Allah, I will not do that". Then there came Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to them and said, "Where is he who swore by Allah that he would not do good?" He said: "O Messenger of Allah, it is me. Now he may do as he desires".

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "Shall I not inform you about the people of Jannah? It is every person who is, modest and humble (before Allah), a person who is accounted weak and is looked down upon but if he adjures Allah, Allah will certainly give him what he desires. Now shall I not inform you about the inmates of Hell? It is every violent, impertinent and proud man".

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

"Ali (رضي الله عنه) sat after praying Fajr in ar-Rahbah, then he said to his slave: Bring me water for wudoo’. The slave brought him a vessel in which there was water and another, large, vessel. "Abd Khair said: We were sitting and looking at him. He took the vessel in his right hand and tilted it over his left hand, then he washed both hands. Then he took the vessel in his right hand and poured water over his left hand, then he washed both hands. He did that three times.ʻAbd Khair said: Throughout that, he did not put his hand in the vessel until he had washed it three times. Then he put his right hand in the vessel and washed his mouth, and rinsed his nose with his left hand. He did that three times. Then he put his right hand in the vessel and washed his face three times. Then he washed his right arm up to the elbow three times, then he washed his left arm up to the elbow three times. Then he put his right hand in the vessel until it was immersed, then he lifted it with whatever water was on it, and he wiped his left hand with it then he wiped his head with both hands, once. Then he poured water with his right hand three times on his right foot, then he washed it with his left hand. Then he poured water with his right hand on his left foot, then he washed it with his left hand three times. Then he put his right hand in the vessel and scooped up a handful of water and drank. Then he said: This is the wudoo" of the Prophet of Allah (ﷺ); whoever would like to see the wudoo’ of the Prophet of Allah (ﷺ), this is his wudoo’.

On the day of al-Ahzab, the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "O Allah, fill their houses and graves with fire as they distracted us from the middle prayer until the sunset."

"Ali (رضي الله عنه) said: I got very hungry once in Madinah, so I went out to look for work in "Awali al-Madinah. I saw a woman who had collected some mud and I thought that she wanted to add water to it. So I made a deal with her, for each bucket one date, I brought sixteen buckets full, until it left marks on my hands, then I went to the water and drank some. Then I came to her and opened my hands in front of her like this - Isma"eel spread his hands and put them together - and she counted out sixteen dates for true. Then I came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and told him, and he ate some of them with me.

"We used to perform prayer while the beasts were passing in front of us. That was mentioned to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he said: "If something like the hand of a saddle* is placed in front of anyone of you, it will not matter whoever passes in front of him."

"When anyone of you performs prayer, let him put something in front of him. If he cannot find anything then let him put a stick. If he cannot find one, then let him draw a line. Then it will not matter if anything passes in front of him."

"The prayer is severed by a woman, a dog and a donkey."