extinguishing it, or a drowning person he wishes to save, he should go out to them and start the prayer [anew]. If the fire or the flood reaches him while he is in prayer, and he flees from it, he may continue his prayer and complete it as the prayer of a fearful person, based on what we mentioned earlier, and Allah knows best.

265 - Issue: He said: (And nothing invalidates the prayer except for the solid black dog (1)).

Meaning if it passes in front of him. This is the well-known position of Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him, as narrated from him by the group. Al-Athram said: Abu Abdullah was asked: "What invalidates the prayer?" He said: "In my view, nothing invalidates it except for the solid black dog." This is the view of Aisha (2), and it is also narrated from Tawus. It is narrated (3) from Mu'adh and Mujahid that they both said: "The solid black dog is a devil, and it invalidates the prayer." The meaning of "bahim" (solid/plain) is that which has no color in it other than black. There is another narration from Ahmad that it is invalidated by the black dog, a woman if she passes by, and a donkey. He said: And as for the hadith of Aisha (4), some people said: It is not an argument for this; because the passerby is not a stayer, and it was in a voluntary prayer, which is lighter [than the obligatory one], and the obligatory prayer is more emphatic. As for the hadith of Ibn Abbas: "I passed in front of a part of the row (6)," it is not an argument; because the sutrah of the Imam is a sutrah for those behind him. This view was narrated from Anas, Ikrimah, al-Hasan, and Abu al-Ahwas (7). The basis for this view is what Abu Hurayra narrated, saying: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "The prayer is invalidated by the woman, the donkey..."