the path of a sheep. Recorded by al-Bukhari (24). And from Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, who said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "Draw near to the Qibla (25)." Recorded by al-Athram (26). Al-Khattabi mentioned in "Ma'alim al-Sunan" (27) that Malik ibn Anas was one day praying while being distant (28) from the sutra, so a man who did not know him passed by him and said: "O you who are praying, draw near to your sutra." Malik began to move forward while he was reciting: {And He has taught you that which you did not know, and the grace of Allah upon you has ever been great} (29). This is because being close to the sutra is more protective of his prayer and further from anything passing between him and it, which would intervene between him and the sutra. Once this is established, he should place between himself and his sutra three cubits or less. Muhanna said: I asked Abu Abd Allah about the man who is praying; how much should be between him and the Qibla? He said: "Draw as near to the Qibla as you are able." Then he later said: Ibn Umar said: The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) prayed in the Kaaba, and there was between him and the wall three cubits (31). Al-Maymuni (32) said: I saw you at about four. He said: "That was out of forgetfulness." Abd Allah ibn Mughaffal used to place six cubits between himself and his sutra. Ata said: The least that suffices you is three cubits. Al-Shafi'i also held this view.
(24) In: The Chapter on the amount of distance that should be between the one praying and the sutra, from the Book of Prayer, and in: The Chapter on what the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) mentioned... etc., from the Book of al-I'tisam. Sahih al-Bukhari 1/133, 9/129. It was also recorded by Muslim, in: The Chapter on the drawing near of the one praying to the sutra, from the Book of Prayer. Sahih Muslim 1/364. And Abu Dawud, in: The Chapter on drawing near to the sutra, from the Book of Prayer. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/160, with the wording: "the passage of a goat." (25) The root of al-rahaq is to approach something and draw near to it. Gharib al-Hadith by Abu Ubayd 4/370. (26) See its verification in Fayd al-Qadir Sharh al-Jami' al-Saghir 1/479. (27) Ma'alim al-Sunan 1/187. (28) In Ma'alim al-Sunan: "mutabayan" (separate/distant). (29) Surah al-Nisa 113. (30) Dropped from: The original. (31) Recorded by al-Bukhari, in: The Chapter 'Ibrahim ibn al-Mundhir narrated to us', from the Book of Prayer. Sahih al-Bukhari 1/134, 135. And Abu Dawud, in: The Chapter on prayer in the Kaaba, from the Book of Rites. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/466, 467. And al-Nasa'i, in: The Chapter on the amount of that, from the Book of the Qibla. Al-Mujtaba 2/49. And Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad 2/113, 138, 6/13. (32) He is Abd al-Malik ibn Abd al-Hamid; a biography was provided for him in 1/21. The speech is addressed to Imam Ahmad, for he narrated the hadith in the Musnad, and it is not addressed to Ibn Umar.
القِبْلَةِ مَمَرُّ الشَّاةِ. رَوَاهُ البُخَارِيُّ (٢٤). وعن عائشةَ، رَضِىَ اللَّه عنها، قالتْ: قال رسولُ اللهِ -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم-: "ارْهَقُوا الْقِبْلَةَ" (٢٥). رَوَاه الأَثْرَمُ (٢٦). وذَكَرَ الخَطَّابِىُّ في "مَعَالِم السُّنَنِ" (٢٧) أن مالِكَ بنَ أَنَسٍ كان يُصَلِّى يوما مُتَنَائِيًا (٢٨) عن السُّتْرَةِ، فمَرَّ به رَجُلٌ لا يَعْرِفُه، فقال: أيُّها المُصَلِّى، ادْنُ من سُترَتِكَ. فجَعَلَ مالِكٌ يَتَقَدَّم: هو يَقْرأُ: {وَعَلَّمَكَ مَا لَمْ تَكُنْ تَعْلَمُ وَكَانَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكَ عَظِيمًا} (٢٩). ولأنَّ قُرْبَه من السُّتْرَةِ أصْوَنُ لِصَلَاتِه وأَبْعَدُ من أن يَمُرَّ بَيْنَه وبَيْنَها شَيْءٌ يَحُولُ بَيْنَه وبَيْنَها. إذا ثَبَتَ هذا، فإنَّه يَجْعَلُ بَيْنَه وبَيْنَ سُتْرَتِه ثلاثةَ أَذْرُعِ فما دُون. قال مُهَنَّا: سأَلْتُ أبا عبدِ اللهِ عن الرَّجُلِ يُصَلِّى، كم يَنْبَغِى أنْ (٣٠) يكون بَيْنَه وبَيْنَ القِبْلَة؟ قال: يَدْنُو من القِبْلَةِ ما اسْتَطَاعَ. ثم قال بعدُ: إنَّ ابنَ عمرَ، قال: صَلَّى النَّبِيُّ -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم- في الكَعْبَةِ، فكان بينَه وبينَ الحائِطِ ثلاثةُ أذْرُعٍ (٣١). قال المَيْمُونِيُّ (٣٢): فقد رَأَيْتُكَ على نحو من أرْبَعَةٍ. قال: بالسَّهْوِ. وكان عبدُ اللهِ بنُ مُغَفَّلٍ يَجْعَلُ بَيْنَه وبَيْن سُتْرَتِه سِتَةَ أذْرُعٍ. قال عَطَاءٌ: أقَلُّ ما يَكْفِيكَ ثلاثةُ أذْرُعٍ. وبه قال الشَّافِعِىُّ؛
(٢٤) في: باب قدر كم ينبغى أن يكون بين المصلى والسترة، من كتاب الصلاة، وفى: باب ما ذكر النبي -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم-. . . إلخ، من كتاب الاعتصام. صحيح البخاري ١/ ١٣٣، ٩/ ١٢٩. كما أخرجه مسلم، في: باب دنو المصلى من السترة، من كتاب الصلاة. صحيح مسلم ١/ ٣٦٤. وأبو داود، في: باب الدنو من السترة، من كتاب الصلاة. سنن أبي داود ١/ ١٦٠. بلفظ: "ممر عنز".(٢٥) أصل الرهق: أن يأتى الشيء ويدنو منه. غريب الحديث لأبي عبيد ٤/ ٣٧٠.(٢٦) انظر تخريجه في فيض القدير شرح الجامع الصغير ١/ ٤٧٩.(٢٧) معالم السنن ١/ ١٨٧.(٢٨) في معالم السنن: "متباينا".(٢٩) سورة النساء ١١٣.(٣٠) سقط من: الأصل.(٣١) أخرجه البخاري، في: باب حدثنا إبراهيم بن المنذر، من كتاب الصلاة. صحيح البخاري ١/ ١٣٤، ١٣٥. وأبو داود، في: باب الصلاة في الكعبة، من كتاب المناسك. سنن أبي داود ١/ ٤٦٦، ٤٦٧. والنسائي، في: باب مقدار ذلك، من كتاب القبلة. المجتبى ٢/ ٤٩. والإِمام أحمد، في: المسند ٢/ ١١٣، ١٣٨، ٦/ ١٣.(٣٢) هو عبد الملك بن عد الحميد، تقدم التعريف به في ١/ ٢١، والكلام موجه إلى الإِمام أحمد، فقد روى الحديث في المسند، وليس متجها إلى ابن عمر.
