Ruling on Praying without Sutrah
Benefit:
Imām Al-Bukhāri may Allāh mercy on him said: Ishāq ya’nī bin Mansūr narrated to us, he said Abdullāh bin Numayr narrated to us, he said ‘Ubaydillāh bin ‘Umar narrated to us, on the authority of Nāfi’, on the authority of Ibn ‘Umar, that the Prophet ﷺ said: “He used to when going out for Eid, order for a spear to be placed in front of him, to pray towards it and the people behind him, and he used to do that when travelling.” And from there the rulers adopted it.
And this is a judge over that obscurity in that (other) place, the action of Imām Al-Bukhāri explaining with this hadith the hadith of him praying towards other than a wall, and he is saying to them verily the Prophet ﷺ used to do that on travels and this is travelling, his going out for Hajj is travelling, and he used to take a spear and put it in front of him, so him praying towards other than a wall, he prayed to what the hadith of Ibn ‘Umar points towards, to a spear, this is beautiful speech, beautiful arrangement, beautiful fiqh.
Rather, the majority of scholars seek proof with this hadith as diverting from stating the obligation of praying to a Sutrah, they say praying towards a Sutrah is not obligatory, and they divert the command with this, don’t pray except towards a Sutrah, or if any of you prays towards a Sutrah then let him come close to it, they divert the command with the hadith that he prayed towards other than a wall, Imām Al-Bukhāri says in this place ya’nī that this is not evidence for them, rather this is evidence for us that the Prophet ﷺ used to bring a spear with him, so it (the hadith) negated the Sutrah of the wall, but didn’t negate the Sutrah of the spear, rather it affirmed it with numerous evidences.
It could be said what is the reason for Ibn ‘Abbās’ statement to other than a wall? It’s meaning: That the Prophet ﷺ in Minā prayed towards something which was not wide, rather to a spear as he used to bring it in all his places of reside, it doesn’t negate except the wall, and that the spear doesn’t require to be big and wide, upon this meaning is the statement of negation of Ibn ‘Abbās taken, and even if it didn’t encompass this negation we said that the asl is that he used to take a Sutrah with him.
And if this objection doesn’t stand for them then it remains upon its obligation and this is what is the most correct opinion, opposing the opinion of the majority of scholars of the recommendation of praying towards a Sutrah, due to the commandments that point towards this obligation, and due to not having an authentic diversion of it, and due to the Prophet ﷺ being consistent upon it, and maintaining it whether travelling or as a resident, so it combines in that affair to do it and his persistence upon it, his ordering of it, and ordering to draw close to it, and the harms of the Shaytān passing in front of a person if he doesn’t pray towards a Sutrah, it will corrupt his Salāh, and not having respect if he prays without a Sutrah whereby someone will come and pass by him without him caring, and other than that, from what necessitates that, from the text and general proofs that necessitate giving attention to taking and praying towards a Sutrah in Salāh.
And the best of those who take care of this obligation are Ahlus-Sunnah, and as you see from those considerable from the people of knowledge, they pray without a Sutrah, why? They say, Sunnah, Sunnah, Tayyib Sunnah, we’ve left the statement of it being obligatory and we remain with it being Sunnah, Tayyib this is a Sunnah, how do you deal with it, that which the Prophet ﷺ was consistent upon and gave importance to it while travelling and as a resident, he did not used to pray except towards it, that it is Sunnah upon your statement, will you leave it while the Prophet ﷺ was consistent upon it and made it form the emphasized Sunnas, if the affair is as you say then give importance to it as he gave importance to it, he is an example for us, Allāh said:
(لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِى رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلْيَوْمَ ٱلْءَاخِرَ وَذَكَرَ ٱللَّهَ كَثِيرًا)
“Indeed in the Messenger of Allāh you have a good example to follow.” [Al-Ahzāb, 21]
The conclusion O my brothers, not praying towards a Sutrah is abandonment of a persons Salāh, for the Shaytān to pass in front of him and corrupt his prayer and diminish it, is abandonment, if he had a little bit of wealth he would not abandon it for someone to come and grab it from him, but his Salāh he leaves it for the Shaytān to snatch from it at will.
Answered by: Shaykh, the Allamah, the Trustworthy Advisor, Abu Abdirrahman Yahya bin Ali Al-Hajuri – may Allah preserve him
Translated by: Abu ‘Abdillāh ‘Omar bin Yahya Al-‘Akawi
Source: https://t.me/sh_yahia_duroos/7552