Detailed Discussion on the Sutrah (Barrier in Prayer)

Question

1. Nowadays in mosques and houses, doors are often installed without a threshold. Their lower edges do not touch the ground; rather, there remains a gap approximately the width of a finger or less. People close these doors and then pass in front of the worshipper, considering the doors to be a sutrah. However, in Sharḥ al-Wiqāyah it is stated: “In an open place one should place a sutrah before him about one cubit high and the thickness of a finger.

Answer

According to the correct view in the madhhab, the area where passing is disliked is defined as follows: In a small mosque: the space directly in front of the worshipper. In a large mosque or open area: the place of his prostration.

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