Muwatta Malik

Shortening the Prayer — Hadith #367

Muwatta Malik:Shortening the Prayer:Hadith 367
وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ، عَنْ عَطَاءِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ، أَنَّ كَعْبَ الأَحْبَارِ، قَالَ لَوْ يَعْلَمُ الْمَارُّ بَيْنَ يَدَىِ الْمُصَلِّي مَاذَا عَلَيْهِ لَكَانَ أَنْ يُخْسَفَ بِهِ خَيْرًا لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَمُرَّ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ ‏.‏

Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam from Ata ibn Yasar that Kab al-Ahbar said, “If the person who passed in front of a man praying knew what he was bringing on himself, it would be better for him to sink into the ground than to pass in front of him.”