Islamic Manual

What nullifies the prayer

The things that break the prayer: speaking, eating, laughing, unnecessary movement and more; what does not break it, and when breaking it is necessary.

Some things, if they happen during your prayer, break it: meaning you have to start it again. Here are the main ones.

If you're praying by yourself out in the open, it's good to put something small in front of you, like a bag, about a hand's height, roughly three hand-lengths in front of where your eyes would look: this is called a sutrah. If someone still walks in front of you, it's the passerby who is doing wrong, not you; your prayer stays valid either way. If you're following an imam, his sutrah covers everyone behind him too.

A number of actions break (invalidate) the prayer if they occur during it.

If someone passes in front of a person praying, it does not affect the validity of that person's prayer, though the person passing is sinning. If the person praying is on raised ground such that the passerby's body is not directly level with them, there is no sin on the passerby either. Someone praying in an open area should place a barrier (sutrah) in front of them, about a hand's height and roughly a finger's thickness, positioned about three hand-lengths in front of the right eyebrow; if a standing barrier cannot be placed, it may be laid flat, lengthwise rather than widthwise. An imam's sutrah suffices for everyone following him. Once a barrier is in place, passing beyond it carries no sin.

A number of acts, arising within the prayer, invalidate (mubṭil) it.

Where a person passes in front of one praying, the validity of the prayer is unaffected, though the passerby himself sins; where the one praying stands on elevated ground such that the passerby's body is not level with him, no sin attaches to the passerby either. One praying in open ground should set a sutrah before him: about a hand's height and a finger's breadth, positioned roughly three hand-spans ahead of the right eyebrow; where an upright sutrah cannot be placed, one may be laid flat, lengthwise rather than across. An imam's sutrah suffices for the entire congregation behind him. Once a sutrah is in place, passing beyond it carries no sin at all.

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