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Question: Please explain the following narrative
regarding a woman passing in front of the one who is praying. Does it really
nullify one’s prayer if a woman passes before them?
‘Abdullah Ibn Samit
reports on the authority of Abu Dharr that the Prophet (sws) said:
‘When any one of you stands for prayer he is covered [from the passers by]
if there is a thing before him equal to the back of the saddle. In case
there is no such thing before him, his prayer would be nullified if a
menstruating woman, a donkey or a black dog [passes in front of him]. (Muslim,
No: 510)
Answer: This Hadith has been
rejected by the learned among the companions of the Prophet (sws). The
reason is that it offends common sense and does not conform to basic
religious teachings. I will only mention the following comments of
‘A’ishah (rta) in this regard:
Do you make us [women] equal to dogs and donkeys? (She is
referring to the saying ascribed to the Prophet quoted above). While I
used to lie in my bed, the Prophet would come and pray facing the middle
of the bed. I used to consider it not good to stand in front of him in his
prayers. So I used to slip away slowly and quietly from the foot of the
bed till I got out of my quilt. (Bukhari, No: 486)
The things which annul the prayers were mentioned before
me. They said: ‘The prayer is annulled by a dog, a donkey and a woman [if
they pass in front of the praying people].’ I said, ‘You have rendered us
(i.e. women) dogs. I saw the Prophet praying while I used to lie in my bed
between him and the Qiblah. Whenever I was in need of something, I
would slip away for I disliked facing him’. (Bukhari, No: 489)
I used to sleep in front of Allah’s Apostle with my legs
opposite his Qiblah [facing him]; and whenever he prostrated, he
pushed my feet and I withdrew them and whenever he stood, I stretched
them. She added, ‘In those days there were no lamps in the houses’. (Bukhari,
No: 491)
The above
Ahadith evidently proves that the issue was raised before the Companions
of the Prophet (sws) and the learned among them have opined that it does not
hold water.
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