Chapter: One who prays while people are talking in front of him, or who prays facing those who are sleeping.
• I said to Ahmad: "A man prays while a man is talking in front of him?" He said: "No, because the Prophet (peace be upon him) has forbidden that." He added: "And the obligatory prayer is more severe," and it was as if he leaned towards the view that he must repeat it.
I said: "What if he prays facing those who are sleeping?" He said: "As for the obligatory prayer, no [it does not invalidate it]."
1100 - Al-Husayn ibn Sulayman ibn Abi Kabshah—a Basran—narrated to us, he said: Abd al-Rahman narrated to us, he said: Sufyan narrated to us, from al-Ash'ath, from Sufyan ibn Jubayr, that he saw no harm in praying facing those who are talking if they are remembering Allah.
• Ishaq was asked about a man who prays the obligatory prayer behind a sleeper. He said: "He has done wrong, but his prayer is valid."
1101 - Yahya al-Himmani narrated to us, he said: Tammam ibn Buzay' narrated to us, he said: I heard Muhammad ibn Ka'b say: I heard Ibn Abbas say: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Do not pray facing those who are sleeping or those who are talking."
Chapter: A man draws a line in front of him when he prays
• Abu Abd Allah Ahmad ibn Hanbal was asked: "How does one draw a line in front of the one praying?" He said: "Like this; horizontally."
(1) Thus it is in the original, and in the sources it is: "Salamah". (2) It is written in the original as: "Sghyan", with "thus" written above it, and it was written in the margin: "Perhaps it is: Sa'id," and this is how Ibn Rajab transmitted it in al-Fath.
