we do not know it except through the hadith of Rishdin ibn Sa'd, and some scholars have weakened him due to his memory. As for the Imam, if he finds no path, it is not disliked for him to step over [people], because it is a place of necessity.
Section: If he sees a gap that he cannot [reach] (26) except by stepping over [people], there are two narrations [in our school]. One of them is that he is permitted to step over them. Ahmad said: "A man should enter as much as he is able, and not leave an empty space in front of him. If he is ignorant and leaves the space in front of him empty, then he who comes after him should step over him and pass to the empty space, for there is no sanctity for one who left the space in front of him empty and sat elsewhere." Al-Awza'i said: "He steps over them to the spacious area." Qatadah said: "He steps over them to his place of prayer." Al-Hasan said: "Step over the necks of those who sit at the doors of the mosques, for there is no sanctity for them." From Ahmad, there is another narration: if he is stepping over one or two people, there is no harm, because it is insignificant, so it is pardoned, but if it is many, we deem it disliked. Al-Shafi'i said the same, unless he finds no way to his place of prayer except by stepping over, then it is permissible for him, if Allah the Almighty wills. Perhaps the saying of Ahmad, and those who agreed with him in the first narration, is regarding when they have left a spacious place—such as those who line up in the back of the mosque and leave empty rows in front of them; these people have no sanctity, as al-Hasan said, because they have opposed the command of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), turned away from the virtue and the best of the rows, and sat in the worst of them; and because stepping over them is something unavoidable. And his second saying is in regards to those who did not show negligence (27), but rather sat in their place because of the crowding in front of them, yet there is space in which it is possible to sit due to their crowding, and whenever (28) prayer is not possible except by entering...
= And it was recorded by al-Tirmidhi, in: The Chapter on What Has Been Said Regarding the Dislike of Stepping Over [People] on Friday, from the Chapters on Friday. 'Aridat al-Ahwadhi 2/301. And Ibn Majah, in: The Chapter on What Has Been Said Regarding the Prohibition of Stepping Over People on Friday, from the Book of Establishing Prayer. Sunan Ibn Majah 1/354. And Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad 3/437. (26) In the original and [A]: "reach it". (27) In the original: "negligent". (28) In [M] there is an addition: "it was".
نَعْرِفُه إلَّا من حَدِيثِ رِشْدِين بن سَعْدٍ، وقد ضَعَّفَهُ بعضُ أهْلِ العِلْمِ من قِبَلِ حِفْظِه، فأمَّا الإِمامُ إذا لم يَجِدْ طَرِيقًا، فلا يُكْرَهُ له التَّخَطِّي، لأنَّه مَوْضِعُ حاجَةٍ.
فصل: فإن رَأى فُرْجَةً لا [يَصِلُ إليها] (٢٦) إلَّا بالتَّخَطِّي، ففيه رِوَايَتانِ: إحْدَاهُما، له التَّخَطِّي. قال أحمدُ: يَدْخُلُ الرَّجُلُ ما اسْتَطَاعَ، ولا يَدَعُ بين يَدَيْهِ موضِعًا فارغًا، فإن جَهِلَ فَتَرَكَ بين يَدَيْهِ خَاليًا فَلْيَتَخَطَّ الذي يَأْتِي بعده، ويَتَجَاوَزْه إلى المَوْضِعِ الخالِي، فإنَّه لا حُرْمَةَ لمن تَرَكَ بين يَدَيْهِ خَاليًا، وقَعَدَ في غيرِه. وقال الأوْزَاعِيُّ: يَتَخَطَّاهُم إلى السَّعَةِ. وقال قَتادَةُ: يَتَخَطَّاهُمْ إلى مُصَلَّاهُ. وقال الحسنُ: تَخَطُّوا رِقابَ الذين يَجْلِسُونَ على أبْوَابِ المَساجِدِ، فإنَّه لا حُرْمَةَ لهم. وعن أحمد، رِوَايَةٌ أخْرَى، إنْ كان يَتَخَطَّى الواحِدَ والاثْنَيْنِ فلا بَأْسَ؛ لأنَّه يَسِيرٌ، فَعُفِي عنه، وإن كَثُرَ كَرِهْناه. وكذلك قال الشَّافِعِيُّ، إلَّا أنْ لا يَجدَ السَّبيلَ إلى مُصَلَّاهُ إلَّا بأن يَتَخَطَّى، فيسَعُه التَّخَطِّي، إن شاء اللهُ تعالى. ولَعْلَّ قَوْلَ أَحمدَ، ومن وَافَقَهُ في الرِّوَايَةِ الأُولَى، فيما إذا تَرَكُوا مَكانًا وَاسِعًا، مثل الذين يَصُفُّونَ في آخِرِ المَسْجدِ، ويَتْرُكُونَ بين أيْدِيهم صُفُوفًا خَالِيَةً، فهؤلاءِ لا حُرْمَةَ لهم. كما قال الحسنُ؛ لأنَّهم خَالَفُوا أمْرَ النَّبِيِّ -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم-، وَرَغِبُوا عن الفَضِيلَة وخَيْرِ الصُّفُوفِ، وجَلَسُوا في شَرِّهَا، ولأنَّ تَخَطِّيَهم ممَّا لا بُدَّ منه، وقولَه الثَّانِي في حَقِّ مَن لم يُفرِّطُوا (٢٧)، وإنَّما جَلَسُوا في مَكانِهِم؛ لامْتِلاءِ ما بين أيديهم، لكنْ فيه سَعَةٌ يُمْكِنُ الجُلُوسُ فيه لازْدِحَامِهِمْ، ومتى (٢٨) لم يُمْكِن الصلاةُ إلَّا بالدُّخُولِ
= وأخرجه الترمذي، في: باب ما جاء في كراهية التخطي يوم الجمعة، من أبواب الجمعة. عارضة الأحوذي ٢/ ٣٠١. وابن ماجه، في: باب ما جاء في النهي عن تخطي الناس يوم الجمعة، من كتاب إقامة الصلاة. سنن ابن ماجه ١/ ٣٥٤. والإِمام أحمد، في: المسند ٣/ ٤٣٧.(٢٦) في الأصل، أ: "يصلها".(٢٧) في الأصل: "يفرط".(٢٨) في م زيادة: "كان".
