2/250. Chapter:
Sunan Abi Dawud 1126 — Following the Imam from Behind a Barrier
A Person Praying Behind The Imam While There Is A Wall Between Them
Hadith About Following the Imam in Congregational Prayer
Sunan Abi Dawud : 1126
Sunan Abi DawudHadith Number 1126
حَدَّثَنَا زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا هُشَيْمٌ، أَخْبَرَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ عَمْرَةَ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، - رضى الله عنها - قَالَتْ صَلَّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي حُجْرَتِهِ وَالنَّاسُ يَأْتَمُّونَ بِهِ مِنْ وَرَاءِ الْحُجْرَةِ .
'Aishah said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) offered the prayer in his apartment and people were following him behind apartment.
[1] “Apartment” or Hujrah ; its meaning is not clear in this narration so it has been translated in the more general way. In one of the narrations recorded by Al-Bukhārī it mentions that its wall was short, and they could see him beyond it. For this reason and others, Al-Hāfiẓ Ibn Hajar said that this Hujrah in this narration may refer to an occasion when he was performing the voluntary night prayer inside the Masjid , and he would make some sort of temporary structure with “walls” using palm-reed mats, to temporarily section off the area in which he was praying.Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 1126In-book reference : Book 2, Hadith 737English translation : Book 2, Hadith 1121
Summary of Sunan Abi Dawud Hadith 1126
This hadith about following the imam in congregational prayer tells us that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم prayed in his apartment while people followed him from behind the apartment. The text is brief, so we should keep the meaning brief too. It shows people taking him as imam even though he was inside his room and they were behind it. For someone searching “following imam behind barrier hadith” or “praying behind imam from another place,” this narration is linked to that topic. The hadith does not mention a full legal discussion, distance, or modern building layouts. It simply reports that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم prayed in his apartment and the people followed him from behind it.
What we learn from this hadith
- People followed the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in prayer while he was in his apartment.
- The report shows congregational following in the situation described.
- The text does not add details beyond this specific setting.
- The hadith teaches careful attention to how the imam is followed.
