In the Name of Allāh, the Ever Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy
Question:
Is it really necessary to use a sutrah while praying?
Answer:
The Prophet (ﷺ) used to stand close to the sutrah while praying. The distance between the Prophet (ﷺ) and the wall was three forearms. [Narrated by al-Nasāʿī and Aḥmad]
He (ﷺ) used to say: “Do not pray except towards a sutrah, and do not let anyone pass in front of you. If he insists, then fight him, for he has with him a companion devil.” [Reported by Ibn Khuzaymah in his Ṣaḥīḥ]
He (ﷺ) also said: “If any one of you is praying toward a sutrah, then let him stand close to it, so that the devil will not cut off his prayer.” [Narrated in the Sunan collections by Abū Dāwūd, al-Nasāʿī, and others]
The statement above is explained by Mullā ʿAlī al-Qārī (may Allāh have mercy on him): “What can be understood from this is that the sutrah acts as a barrier preventing the devil from gaining influence over the one praying. Based on the person’s sincerity and attentiveness towards Allāh, the protection granted by the sutrah may be complete or partial. The absence of a sutrah gives the devil an opportunity to distract the worshipper from his humility, reverence, devotion, and absorption in dhikr (remembrance) during the prayer.”
Imām al-Albānī (may Allāh have mercy on him) appended a footnote to this: “Let me say this: Just reflect on the following, about adhering to the Sunnah and the immense benefits that result from it!”
— Translated by Abū Dilāra Naief al-ʿAydarūs.
