Importance of having a Sutrah and Prayer Mats

[Sadiyah]

The Sutrah, and the Obligation to have one

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Sutrah***: “screen, cover”; in the context of prayer, it refers to an object just beyond the place of prostration, within which nothing should pass, as is detailed in this section.

He used to say: "Do not pray except towards a sutrah, and do not let anyone pass in front of you, but if someone continues (to try to pass) then fight him, for he has a companion (i.e. a shaytaan) with him."39

He would also say: "When one of you prays towards a sutrah, he should get close to it so that Shaytaan cannot break his prayer."40

Sometimes "he would seek to pray at the pillar which was in his mosque."41

"When he prayed [in an open space where there was nothing to use as sutrah] he would plant a spear in the ground in front of him and pray towards it with the people behind him"42; Sometimes "he would to set his mount sideways and pray towards it"43 but this is not the same as prayer in the resting-place of camels44, which "he forbade"45, and sometimes "he would take his saddle; set it lengthways and pray towards its end."46

He would say: When one of you places in front of him something such as the stick on the end of a saddle, he should pray and not mind anyone who passes beyond it.47

…

He also used to say: If the person who passed in front of someone praying knew (the sin) on him, it would be better for him to wait forty than to pass in front. (Abu an-Nadr said, “I do not remember exactly whether he said forty days, months or years.”).54

**Footnotes: **

39 Ibn Khuzaimah in his Saheeh (1/93/1) with a sound isnaad.

40 Abu Daawood, Bazzaar (p. 54 - Zawaaid) & Haakim, who declared it saheeh and Dhahabi and Nawawi agreed.

41 Bukhaari. The sutrah is a must for the Imaam or a person praying alone, even in a large mosque. Ibn Haani said in his Masaa’il from Imaam Ahmad (1/66): “Abu Abdullaah (i.e. Imaam Ahmad ibn Hanbal) saw me one day when I was praying without a sutrah in front of me, and I was in a (large) congregational mosque, so he said to me: Take something as a sutrah’, so I took a man as a sutrah.” This contains an indication that Imaam Ahmad did not differentiate between big or small mosques in taking a sutrah - and that is surely correct, but this is something neglected by most people, including imaams of mosques, in every land that I have visited, including Arabia which I was able to tour in Rajab of this year (1410), so the `ulamaa should tell the people and advise them of this, explaining its ruling and that it is also required in the Two Sacred Mosques.

42 Bukhaari, Muslim & Ibn Maajah

43 Bukhaari & Ahmad.

44 i.e., their kneeling place.

45 Bukhaari & Ahmad.

46 Muslim, Ibn Khuzaimah (92/2) & Ahmad.

47 Muslim & Abu Daawood.

54 ibid.

Source:The Sutrah, and the Obligation to have one

When the praying person is the leader in the prayer or praying alone, and he has a sutrah( some object like a peice of wood) in front of him, then walking across in between him and his sutrah is not permitted. However, if he is praying without a sutrah, it is not permissible to walk across in between him and his place of prostration. For the followers (in a jamaa’ah prayer), the leader’s sutrah is enough for them. Based on this, it is permissible to walk through in front of a row if need be.

Ref: Walking in front of someone while praying

[Sadiyah]

Re: Importance of having a Sutrah and Prayer Mats

It is not essential or mandatory to offer salah on a prayer mat/rug. A prayer would still be valid if one prays without a rug/mat.

I thought I’d share this, as many of us including myself are quite in a habit of praying on a prayer mat on a regular basis.

If a man seeks to pray on the rug because he thinks that it is essential to have a rug just for prayer and that he has to pray on something whether he is at home or in the mosque. Many people only ever pray on the rug even if the house is carpeted.

Shaykh al-Islam (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

Praying on rugs, in the sense that the worshipper insists on that – this was not the way of the salaf, the Muhaajireen and Ansaar and those who followed them in truth at the time of the Messenger of Allaah. Rather they used to pray on the ground in his mosque, and none of them had a rug that was used just for prayer. It was narrated that when ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Mahdi came to Madeenah he spread out a rug, and Maalik ordered that it be taken away. It was said to him, “He is ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Mahdi.” Maalik said, “Do you not know that spreading a rug in our mosque is bid’ah (an innovation)?”

Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 22/163

6- The same applies to the practice in many mosques of having a rug that is just for the imam, which is set out for him to pray on, even though the mosque is carpeted. Why is he distinguished from the other worshippers??

This is not appropriate because there is no need for it, and because that may make him feel somewhat superior to the people.

The point is that putting down rugs in a carpeted mosque is a bid’ah unless there is a reason for that, such as it being very cold, or the floor being rough or the first carpet being naajis (impure) or filthy, and so on.

And Allaah knows best.

Ref: Praying on rugs

[armughal]

Re: Importance of having a Sutrah and Prayer Mats

it is better and not obligatory to take sutrah while praying....