Sutrah

[Vajradhara]

Salaam all,

so.. i was reading today and came across this term. i did some research and the research has baffled me.

so.. what is a Sutrah?

from what i can tell, it's supposed to be a pillar or some other object which is planted in the ground?

why would a Muslim have to pray towards this device? wouldn't this rather contravene the injunction to face Mecca when praying?

further, why would this device need to be some how partitioned away from the believer?

this is a fascinating discovery, for me, at least. i appreciate your time and answers

[Friend]

Originally Posted by Vajradhara

Salaam all,

so.. i was reading today and came across this term. i did some research and the research has baffled me.

so.. what is a Sutrah?

from what i can tell, it's supposed to be a pillar or some other object which is planted in the ground?

why would a Muslim have to pray towards this device? wouldn't this rather contravene the injunction to face Mecca when praying?

further, why would this device need to be some how partitioned away from the believer?


this is a fascinating discovery, for me, at least. i appreciate your time and answers

Hi

I don't know what you mean by device....We don't use any device when we pray for Allah , Sutrah means to chose a suitable place in which there is no chance for anyone walk or pass in front of the person who praying ,when we do that we concentrate on our pray and communicate with our creator in better way. often sutrah is the wall in the room or something like detainer , unless the case when the muslims are praying in the mosque together they must pray near each other .

[Vajradhara]

Salaam Friend,

thank you for the post.

well... i'm not really sure what i mean, since the term is a bit vague for me still. i searched for the term and i found this, which seems to be applicable:



Abu Sa'id reports that the Prophet said: "When one of you prays, he should pray toward his sutrah and he should be close to it." This is related by Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah.



Ibn 'Umar relates that "when the Prophet went out to pray salatul 'id, he asked for a spear and placed it in front of himself and he offered salah toward it and the people prayed behind him. And he would do that while he was traveling so that those in authority [for the affairs of the Muslims] would also do this." This is related by al-Bukhari, Muslim, and Abu Dawud.



Sabrah ibn Mu'abid reports that the Messenger of Allah said: "When one of you prays, he should make a partition for his salah, even if it is an arrow." This is related by Ahmad and by al-Hakim who said it is sahih according to the criteria of Muslim. Al-Haithami observes: "Ahmad's narrators are sound."



Abu Hurairah relates that the Prophet said: "When one of you prays, he should place something in front of him. If he cannot find anything, he should prop up his staff [in front of him]. If he does not have a staff, he should draw a line [on the ground in front of him] then nothing that passes in front of him will harm him." This is related by Ahmad and Abu Dawud and Ibn Hibban. The later classifies it sahih as did Ahmad and Ibn al-Madini. Al-Baihaqi says: "There is no problem with that hadith regarding that ruling, Allah willing."

Talhah says: "We used to pray and the animals would pass in front of us. We mentioned that to the Prophet and he said: "If anything the size of a saddle is in front of you, nothing that passes beyond it would harm you." [This is related by Ahmad, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, and at-Tirmidhi who calls it hasan sahih]

(bold added by me for emphasis)

hmm... so, if i read your response correct, you are saying that Sutrah is more of an injunction to have something in front of you whilst you are praying, is that correct?

[Friend]

Hi
Yes , when we pray we must put our senses and mind in our pray , without any addling . by using any thing like a mark to others that we are praying(remember that we Muslims can pray in any clean place on the earth ) , or by choosing a place near to the wall so there is no space for others to pass in front of us while we are praying .

[thipps]

Salaam,
The short article below will inshallah be helpful.

First of all, it should be clear that it is forbidden to cross in front of a praying person. In a big and open place or in a crowded place, it is good to put some shield or sutrah between oneself and one's place of sujud, so that other people may pass by without inconvenience.

As regards putting a sutrah in front of the praying person, following is the fatwa issued by the Saudi House of Fatwa:

“Sutrah is something a praying person puts in front of him in order to alert people that they shouldn’t pass in front of him while praying.

Putting sutrah in front of the praying person is a Sunnah (i.e. it is not obligatory). This applies to the person praying alone as well as the Imam in congregational prayer.

It stands to reason that sutrah maybe necessary when a person is praying in the desert or in an open place such as the case with the prayer of `Eids. It may also become necessary when one prays during traveling.

However, the issue of sutrah is no longer important in today’s mosques whose floor is covered with carpets which make it easier for a non-praying person to avoid passing in front of the praying one. In addition, carpets in mosques usually contain clearly defined lines that make it easy for a person praying in the mosque to avoid people passing in front of him.

Generally, sutrah is not obligatory, as we have stated. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said: “When one of you takes a sutrah in prayer, let him inch closer to it.” (Reported by Ahmad and An-Nasa’i)”

Source: http://www.islamonline.net/fatwa/eng...hFatwaID=51685
And Allah knows best.

[Vajradhara]

Salaam and thank you for the response!

[bananabrain]

ooo, that's really interesting. haven't heard of sutrahs before. what a good idea.

b'shalom

bananabrain