Moving away when someone has started praying behind you

Question

If someone makes the niyya for prayer and stands directly behind another person, may the person in front move away from there or not? Will this too count as passing in front (murur) or not? Please also give a reference.

Answer

If the one behind whom someone has come and begun his prayer moves away from there for his own need, this act is not prohibited. This is found in “Imdad al-Fatawa”, and it cites as evidence the narration of Hazrat ‘A’isha ﵂: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would pray behind me, and I would slip away.” This narration is from the Sihah.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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