Don't Walk In Front of a Praying Person

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

We routinely encounter someone walking in front of a praying person in the masjid. Walking in front of a praying person, not only it is being disrespectful to the praying person and distracting the praying person, it has grave consequences on the person who walked in front of the praying person. What is the hurry that one can't wait 2-3 minutes? One should be able to wait until the person finishes his/her prayer and while waiting one can fill the time with dhikr or sunnah prayer. Parents should teach and remind their children not to walk, run, stand or play in front of a praying person.

While it is common to see signs and notices in the prayer hall like NO SMOKING, NO CELL PHONE, NO EATING, NO TALKING DURING KHUTBAH, WEAR PROPER ISLAMIC CLOTHING IN THE MASJID, this important sign "AVOID WALKING IN FRONT OF PRAYING PERSON" is rare or non-existent in masajid.

It is sinful to walk across in front of someone who is praying when it is easy to avoid.

Narrated Busr bin Sa`id: that Zaid bin Khalid sent him to Abi Juhaim to ask him what he had heard from Allah's Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace, about a person passing in front of another person who was praying. Abu Juhaim replied,

"Allah's Apostle said, 'If the person who passes in front of another person in prayer knew the magnitude of his sin he would prefer to wait for 40 (days, months or years) rather than to pass in front of him." Abu An-Nadr said, "I do not remember exactly whether he said 40 days, months or years." (Bukhari)

May Allah guide us. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam