Ibn ‘Umar said: ‘When you intend to perform your Sal?t, do it towards a Sutrah and come close to it lest Shait?n passes in front of you’. (1)

Ibn Mas ‘?d ( - رضي الله عنه -) said: ‘Four are of the characters of the hard - hearted people: to do one’s Sal?t without taking a Sutrah ... or to hear the ’Ath?n and not attending the congregational Sal?t in the mosque’. (2)

‘Pay heed, dear muslim brother - may All?h guide me and you to the right path - to the series of the prophet’s ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) orders of the necessity of taking a Sutrah in Sal?t. Verily, obeying his ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) orders leads to obeying All?h ( - عز وجل -) for he ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) received these rulings through the Wahy. And reflect on the Sah?bah’s care to follow them- as did the second great Caliph ‘Umar ( - رضي الله عنه -) and Ibn Mas‘?d ( - رضي الله عنه -) who considered abandoning it as one of the serious sins that equals abandoning the congregational Sal?t’. (3)

’Anas ( - رضي الله عنه -) said: ‘I saw the prophet’s Sah?bah rushing towards the poles of the mosque -to perform the two Rak‘ah obtional Sal?t (4) - between the sunset ’Athan the prophet’s ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) coming [to lead the Sal?t]. (5)

N?fi’( - رضي الله عنه -) said: ‘Ibn ‘Umar -who never did his Sal?t but towards a Sutrah’- (6) used to do it towards one of the mosque’s poles. In case they are all occupied [with praying muslims] he used to ask me to turn my back to him as a Sutrah’. (7)

Salamah Ibn Al-’Akwa’used to heap up stones and perform his Sal?t towards them. (8)

The previous ‘Athar indicates the affirmed obligation of performing Sal?t towards a Sutrah whether in indoor or outdoor places. This is the prophet’s ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) Sunnah, as Ash-Shawk?n? stated. (9)

The eminent ‘?lim, As-Saf?r?n? said: ‘It is indeed recommended that one does his/ her Sal?t towards a sutrah even if there is no chance of some one passing in front of him/ her’. Im?m M?lik held the opposite opinion regarding the last part of As-Saf?r?n?’s opinion and Ibn ‘Aq?l Al-Hanbal? stated in his “Al-W?dih” that the Sutrah should be a wall or something prominent. Im?m Ahmad held the opinion that a Sutrah should be wide’. (10)

The soundest of all opinions is that the order of taking a Sutrah is a general and a comprehensive one that should not be restricted to certain times, places or shapes. The reasons previously mentioned [by the Im?ms] are mere mental deductions that stand on no hard evidences. Im?m M?lik’s opinion ignores the many ah?d?th that assert the necessity of doing one’s Sal?t towards a Sutrah. Besides, those whom you are not able to see i.e. -Shait?n- may pass in front of your as is clearly stated in the prophet’s ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) ah?d?th and shown in his deeds’. (11)

Having mentioned some ah?d?th about the obligation of performing Sal?t towards a Sutrah, Ibn Khuzaimah said: ‘These are all authentic ah?d?th which clearly state the obligation of doing Sal?t towards a Sutrah. Abdul Karim claimed that Muj?hid narrated from Ibn ‘Abb?s that ‘the prophet ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) performed his Sal?t in a desert (*) without having a Sutrah, and there were no buildings