the back of a saddle, let him pray and not worry about whoever passes behind that." Recorded by Muslim. If this is established, then the sutra of the Imam is a sutra for those behind him. Ahmad explicitly stated this, and it is the position of most of the people of knowledge, as stated by Ibn al-Mundhir. Al-Tirmidhi said: The people of knowledge said: The sutra of the Imam is a sutra for those behind him. Abu al-Zinad said: Everyone I met among the jurists of Medina whose opinion is relied upon—Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab, Urwa ibn al-Zubayr, al-Qasim ibn Muhammad, Abu Bakr ibn Abd al-Rahman, Kharija ibn Zayd, Ubayd Allah ibn Abd Allah ibn Utba, Sulayman ibn Yasar, and others—say: The sutra of the Imam is a sutra for those behind him. This is also narrated from Ibn Umar. Al-Nakha'i, al-Awza'i, Malik, al-Shafi'i, and others held this view. This is because the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) prayed toward a sutra and did not command his companions to set up another sutra. In a hadith from Ibn Abbas, he said: I arrived riding a female donkey, while the Prophet was leading the people in prayer at Mina facing a direction other than a wall. I passed in front of part of the row, then I dismounted, let the donkey graze, and entered the row, and no one disapproved of my action. This is agreed upon.
(6) In: The Chapter on the Sutra of the one praying, from the Book of Prayer. Sahih Muslim 1/358. It was also recorded by Abu Dawud, in: The Chapter on what shields the one praying, from the Book of Prayer. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/158. And by al-Tirmidhi, in: The Chapter on what has been narrated regarding the sutra of the one praying, from the Chapters of Prayer. Aridat al-Ahwadhi 2/129. And by Ibn Majah, in: The Chapter on what shields the one praying, and the Chapter on what interrupts the prayer, from the Book of Establishing Prayer. Sunan Ibn Majah 1/303, 306. And by Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad 1/161. (7) In the original: "kana". (8) Al-Atan: The female of the donkey species. (9) In manuscripts A and M, there is the addition: "ahl" [people]. (10) Recorded by al-Bukhari, in: The Chapter on when it is valid to hear a young person, from the Book of Knowledge; in: The Chapter on the sutra of the Imam is a sutra for those behind him, from the Book of Prayer; and in: The Chapter on the wudu of boys... etc., from the Book of the Adhan. Sahih al-Bukhari 1/29, 132, 218. And by Muslim, in: The Chapter on the sutra of the one praying, from the Book of Prayer. Sahih Muslim 1/361, 362. And by Abu Dawud, in: The Chapter on those who said a donkey does not interrupt the prayer, from the Book of Prayer. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/164. And by al-Nasa'i, in: The Chapter on mentioning what interrupts the prayer... etc., from the Book of the Qibla. Al-Mujtaba 2/50.
