not recommended; one only waits for someone who has entitlement, such as people of knowledge and their peers among the people of virtue.
263- Issue: He said: (The sutra [barrier/screen] of the Imam is a sutra for those behind him).
The general principle of this is that it is recommended for the one praying to pray facing a sutra. If he is in a mosque or a house, he prays toward the wall or a pillar; and if he is in an open space, he prays toward something erect in front of him, or he plants a spear or a staff in front of him, or he places a camel horizontally and prays toward it, or he places his saddle-bag in front of him. Ahmad was asked: Does the traveler pray toward a sutra in both the place of residence and travel? He said: Yes, like the back part of a saddle. We know of no disagreement regarding the recommendation of this. The basis for it is that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) would have a spear planted and he would pray toward it, and he would place a camel horizontally and pray toward it. Abu Juhayfa narrated that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had the Anaza (a short spear) planted for him, so he stepped forward and prayed the Dhuhr prayer in two rak'ahs, while the donkey and the dog would pass in front of him, and he was not prevented. This is agreed upon. From Talha bin Ubayd Allah, he said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "If one of you places before him [something] equal to the back of a saddle, let him pray and not worry about whoever passes behind that." Recorded by Muslim.
(1) In the original and manuscript A: "akhirat". (2) Recorded by al-Bukhari, in: The Chapter on the Sutra of the Imam being a sutra for those behind him, from the Book of Prayer. Sahih al-Bukhari 1/133. And 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-Nasa'i, in: The Chapter on the Sutra of the one praying, from the Book of the Qibla. Al-Mujtaba 2/49. (3) Its extraction will come later after two sections. (4) Recorded by al-Bukhari, in: The Chapter on the Sutra of the Imam being a sutra for those behind him, and the Chapter on praying toward the Anaza, from the Book of Prayer. Sahih al-Bukhari 1/133. And by Muslim, in: The Chapter on the Sutra of the one praying, from the Book of Prayer. Sahih Muslim 1/360. And by Abu Dawud, in: The Chapter on what shields the Imam, from the Book of Prayer. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/158. And by al-Tirmidhi, in: The Chapter on what has been narrated regarding putting a finger in the ear during the Adhan, from the Chapters of Prayer. Aridat al-Ahwadhi 1/312. And by al-Nasa'i, in: The Chapter on benefiting from the remainder of wudu, from the Book of Purity, and in the Chapter on praying in red garments, from the Book of the Qibla. Al-Mujtaba 1/74, 2/57. And by al-Darimi, in: The Chapter on praying toward a sutra, from the Book of Prayer. Sunan al-Darimi 1/328. And by Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad 1/243. (5) In manuscript M: "Abd Allah", which is an error.
