Imam Ibn Khuzaymah narrates from Ibn Jurayj, from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), who says: I and Fadl came riding on a donkey, and we passed in front of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) at Arafat while he was leading the obligatory prayer. There was nothing serving as a sutrah (barrier) between us and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).

Imam Abu Bakr, may Allah have mercy on him, says that it is neither permissible nor correct to take the narration of Abdul Karim from Mujahid as proof and evidence over the narration of Imam Zuhri from Ubaidullah bin Abdullah. And this narration from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, has also been reported in a meaning contrary to this.

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that at Arafat, a spear was fixed in front of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), so he used it as a sutrah and performed prayer, while a donkey was behind the spear. Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that this narration is contrary to the narration of Abdul Karim from Mujahid. Because in that narration, the donkey was behind the spear, while the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had fixed the spear in front of him at Arafat and used it as a sutrah to perform prayer. In the narration of Abdul Karim from Mujahid, it is mentioned that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was leading the obligatory prayer, while there was no sutrah between us and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The narrations of Abdul Karim and Hakam bin Aban are almost similar in terms of transmission. Because the scholars of hadith have criticized using the narration of Abdul Karim as evidence and proof—and the condition of the narration of Hakam bin Aban is similar. However, the narration of Hakam bin Aban is supported in terms of transmission by authentic ahadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Whereas the authentic ahadith narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) reject the narration of Abdul Karim from Mujahid. And this action which Abdul Karim has narrated from Mujahid (may Allah have mercy on him) from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), regarding this, prohibition from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has already been established. Hazrat Sahl bin Abi Hathmah narrates from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: "When any one of you performs prayer, he should pray using a sutrah, and he should stand close to the sutrah so that Satan cannot cut off his prayer."

The narration of Hazrat Aun bin Abi Juhaifah from his father is that the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) started to pray after planting a spear, while behind it a dog, a woman, and a donkey were passing by. And in the narration of Hazrat Rabee’ bin Sabrah Jahni from the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him), it is stated:“Make a sutrah in your prayer, even if it is only with an arrow.”And in the narration of Sayyiduna Abu Sa’eed Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him), it is stated:“When any one of you prays, he should face towards a sutrah and should stand close to the sutrah.”Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that all these narrations are authentic, that the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) has ordered the one who prays to make a sutrah in his prayer. Whereas Abdul Kareem has narrated from Mujahid from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed in an open field without a sutrah, because in the blessed era of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) there was no such structure in Arafat which he (peace be upon him) could use as a sutrah, even though he (peace be upon him) forbade the one who prays from praying without a sutrah. And in the narration of Sadaqah bin Yasar, he says that I heard Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) saying that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:“Do not pray without making a sutrah.”And in the narration of Musa bin Talhah from his respected father, there is evidence that when a donkey passes in front of the one who is praying and there is no sutrah in front of him, then the passing of the donkey in front of him will harm his prayer.

Hazrat Musa bin Talha narrates from his esteemed father, who says: We used to pray in such a state that cattle would pass in front of us. We asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) about this, so he (peace be upon him) said: "If any of you has something in front of him equal to the back piece of a camel's saddle, then whatever passes in front will not harm him."

Hazrat Musa bin Talha’s respected father narrates from the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) that he (peace be upon him) said:“Any one of you should place something equal to the rear wooden part of a camel saddle (as a sutrah) in front of him, then things passing in front of him will not harm him.”Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that in the statement of the Prophet (peace be upon him),“When any one of you has something equal to the rear wooden part of a camel saddle in front of him, then things passing in front of him will not harm him,”there is clear evidence that if he does not have a sutrah equal to the rear wooden part of a camel saddle in front of him, then the animals passing in front of him will harm him. And those animals whose passing in front of him is harmful are only those about whom the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) has stated that they break the prayer, and they are the donkey and the black dog, as Mustafa (peace be upon him) has said. Other animals are not meant, which do not break the prayer.

It is narrated from Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), she says that she had a cloth with pictures on it which was spread over a window. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to use it as a sutrah and pray. Then he (peace be upon him) said: "Take this cloth away from me," so I made cushions out of it.