SECTION ON PRAYER · 103 – DRAWING A LINE AS A SUTRA
689 – It is narrated from Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “When one of you prays, let him place something in front of him; if he cannot find anything, let him set up a staff, and if he does not have a staff with him, let him draw a line (on the ground), then whatever passes in front of him will not harm him.” [446]
EXPLANATION
It is permissible to use any object as a sutra (sutra: a barrier placed in front of one praying). If he does not have an object to use as a sutra, he should set up a staff (walking stick) in front of him; if he cannot find a staff, he should draw a line on the ground. The passing of a person or animal from behind this line does not harm the prayer.
690 – It is narrated from Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), who narrated from Abū’l-Qāsim (peace and blessings be upon him) as follows. ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī said: Sufyān mentioned the hadith about drawing a line on the ground. Sufyān could not find anything to strengthen this hadith. It did not come through another (route). He said, "It only came through this way." ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī said: I said to Sufyān, "They differ regarding this person (Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr)." He thought for a while and then said, "I only remember the name of this narrator as Abū Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr." After Ismāʿīl ibn Umayya died, someone came here. Abū Muḥammad searched for that person, found him, and that person asked Abū Muḥammad about this hadith. Abū Muḥammad became confused. Abū Dāwūd says: I heard that Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was asked several times about the shape of this line. (Aḥmad) said: "It is like a crescent, drawn horizontally." Abū Dāwūd: I heard Musaddad; I heard Ibn Dāwūd say, "The line was lengthwise." (Abū Dāwūd said): I heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal several times regarding the description of the line. He said: "It was like a crescent, drawn horizontally, curved and round."
691 – Sufyān ibn ʿUyayna (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: I saw Sharīk, while leading us in the ʿAṣr prayer, which had become due, at a funeral, place his cap in front of him as a sutra. The narrator intended a prescribed obligatory prayer whose time had come.