If the one passing in front of a person who is praying would know the gravity of his sin, it would have been better for him to stand for forty than to pass in front him
Narrator in the source: أبو جهيم بن الحارث بن الصمة الأنصاري، بسر بن سعيد
Abu Juhaym ibn al-Hārith ibn As-Simmah al-Ansāri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported directly from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: "If the one passing in front of a person who is praying would know the gravity of his sin, it would have been better for him to stand for forty than to pass in front him." Abu An-Nadr said: "I am not sure if he said forty days, months, or years."- Grade in the source
- Authentic hadith
- Reported by
- Narrated by Bukhari & Muslim
- Source entry
- HadeethEnc · 3097 ↗
Original Arabic wording
عن أبي جُهَيْمِ بْنِ الْحَارِثِ بْنِ الصِّمَّةِ الأنصاري رضي الله عنه مرفوعاً: «لو يعلم المار بين يدي الْمُصَلِّي ماذا عليه لكان أن يَقِفَ أربعين خيرا له من أن يَمُرَّ بين يديه».
قال أَبُو النَّضْرِ: لا أدري: قال أربعين يوما أو شهرا أو سنة.Understand this hadith
The praying person is standing before his Lord, conversing with Him in privacy and calling upon Him. If someone passes by him in this state, he interrupts this private conversation and disturbs his worship. That is why it is a serious sin on the part of whoever causes disturbance of a person's prayer by passing in front of him. So the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed us that if a person would know the consequences of his passing; meaning: the sin and misdeed that he incurs, he would have preferred to stand in his place for extended periods of time than to pass in front of someone during his praying. Therefore, a Muslim must guard against this action and avoid it.
References (original Arabic)
الإلمام بشرح عمدة الأحكام لإسماعيل الأنصاري، ط1، دار الفكر، دمشق، 1381هـ. تأسيس الأحكام للنجمي، ط2، دار علماء السلف، 1414هـ. تيسير العلام شرح عمدة الأحكام للبسام، حققه وعلق عليه وخرج أحاديثه وصنع فهارسه: محمد صبحي بن حسن حلاق، ط10، مكتبة الصحابة، الإمارات - مكتبة التابعين، القاهرة، 1426هـ. تنبيه الأفهام شرح عمدة لأحكام لابن عثيمين، ط1، مكتبة الصحابة، الإمارات، 1426هـ. عمدة الأحكام من كلام خير الأنام صلى الله عليه وسلم لعبد الغني المقدسي، دراسة وتحقيق: محمود الأرناؤوط، مراجعة وتقديم: عبد القادر الأرناؤوط، ط2، دار الثقافة العربية، دمشق، بيروت، مؤسسة قرطبة، 1408 هـ. صحيح البخاري، تحقيق: محمد زهير بن ناصر الناصر، ط1، دار طوق النجاة (مصورة عن السلطانية بإضافة ترقيم: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي)، 1422هـ. صحيح مسلم، تحقيق: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، دار إحياء التراث العربي، بيروت، 1423هـ.
Other wordings in the source
If the person passing in front of someone praying knew the extent of the guilt he is incurring, he would prefer to stand for forty rather than pass in front him
Busr ibn Sa‘īd reported that Zayd ibn Khālid al-Juhani (may Allah be pleased with him) sent him to Abu Juhaym (may Allah be pleased with him) to ask him about what he heard from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about the one who passes in front of the praying person. Abu Juhaym said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If the person passing in front of someone praying knew the extent of the guilt he is incurring, he would prefer to stand for forty rather than pass in front him." Abu an-Nadr said: I am not sure if he said forty days, months, or years.
Authentic · Agreed upon
Explanation and references for this wording
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) warned against passing in front of a person performing an obligatory or supererogatory prayer, and that if he knew the extent of guilt he is incurring by doing this deliberately, he would choose to stand for forty rather than to pass in front of him. Abu an-Nadr, the Hadīth narrator, said: I am not sure if he said forty days, months, or years.
صحيح البخاري (1/ 108) (510). صحيح مسلم (1/ 363) (507). تيسير العلام، للبسام تيسير العلام (ص184). تنبيه الأفهام، لابن عثيمين (2/ 239). الإلمام بشرح عمدة الأحكام، لإسماعيل الأنصاري (1/ 154).
