Browse by subject >  Acts of worship  >  Salah (Prayer)  >  Conditions for the validity of Salah  >  One of the conditions for the validity of Salah is facing the Qiblah  >  Placing a Sutrah between the praying person and the Qiblah  > Q: I found a Hadith that reads: If one of you is praying and a donkey, black dog or woman passes in front of him, his Salah (Prayer) is invalid. If the text of the Hadith is Sahih (authentic),...

Q: I found a Hadith that reads: If one of you is praying and a donkey, black dog or woman passes in front of him, his Salah (Prayer) is invalid.If the text of the Hadith is Sahih (authentic), what is your opinion about those who pray in Al-Haram-ul-Sharif (the Sacred Mosque in Makkah) with women passing in front of them as they do Tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka`bah)? [2]
(Part No. 11; Page No. 104)
A: The Hadith is Sahih. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “A Muslim’s Salah is invalidated if there is nothing in front of him like the height of the back of a saddle, by a woman, a donkey and a black dog.” [1] (Related by Muslim in his Sahih Book of Hadith) A similar Hadith is reported on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) but the dog is not restricted to a black dog. However, this is authentically reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him). The rule is that the indefinite legal declaration is qualified by the definite declaration. If a black dog, a donkey or a woman passes in front of a person performing Salah, or between him and his Sutrah each of them invalidates his Salah. This is how it was narrated in the Hadith from the Prophet (peace be upon him) and it is the most preponderant of the opinions of the scholars. There is a difference of opinion among the scholars concerning this;
some interpreted it to mean that it decreases the reward or the perfection of the Salah.
But the correct view is that it invalidates the Salah and it is spoiled by this.
(Part No. 11; Page No. 105)
However, what happens in Al-Masjid Al-Haram is excused according to the scholars, because it is not possible to avoid that in Al-Masjid Al-Haram due to the crowding, especially at the time of Hajj or Ramadan. This is one of the things that is excused in Al-Masjid Al-Haram and is exempted from the general meaning of the Hadiths. Women's passing, when performing Tawaf, in front of people offering Salah in Al-Masjid Al-Haram does not affect them and their Salah is valid, whether Nafilah (supererogatory) or Faridah (obligatory). This is the correct scholarly view. May Allah grant us success.