Question: Is it haram or makruh to pass in front of a person while he is performing salat?
ANSWER
It is makruh to pass in front of a person who is performing salat. When the word makruh is used alone, it generally means makruh tahrimi. That is, it is a sin. Haram is a little graver sin than makruh tahrimi.

Whether in an open field or at any place within a big or a small mosque, if a woman or a man or a dog passes close by or far in front of a person who is performing salat, his salat never becomes nullified. He who passes between the worshiper’s feet and the place of sajda in an open field or in a big mosque, or between his feet and the wall of the qibla in a room or small mosque, becomes sinful. Any mosque between whose qibla wall and back wall is less than twenty meters is called a small mosque. He who passes in front of a person who is performing salat on something higher than level, such as a bank or a sofa, becomes sinful if his head is above the worshiper’s feet. It is not sinful to pass in front of people who are performing salat in Masjid al-haram. (Se’adet-i Ebediyye)

Question: What is the distance at which it is permissible to pass in front of a person performing salat?
ANSWER
If a person is performing salat in an open field or in a big mosque, it is permissible to pass in front of him anywhere beyond his immediate place of prostration (sajda).

Question: How close can one not pass in front of a person performing salat? For example, is it impermissible to pass in front of the worshiper at a distance of a kilometer if he is performing salat on a plain?
ANSWER
One is allowed to pass far away from him if he is performing salat on a plain. However, one is not allowed to pass by his place of prostration.

Question: Can I put a pillow in front of me in order to prevent people from passing in front of me during salat?
ANSWER
You should place something with a height of 50 cm. For example, it is good to put a chair. Then if a person crosses in front of you during salat, it will not affect your salat, but he will be sinful. However, if you stand for salat in people’s walking areas, you will be sinful, too. If the passerby is a child, there is not a sin on him/her.

Question: When a person is performing salat at home or in a small mosque, is it permissible to cross in front of him if he has put a sutrah, e.g., a chair or a jacket, in front of himself?
ANSWER
It will be permissible to cross in front of him if he puts a chair as a sutrah (an object that serves as a barrier when placed in front of a person performing salat). The height of the sutrah should not be less than 50 cm. If he is unable to find anything to erect, then he may draw a vertical line or place his jacket vertically on the floor.

Question: If circumstances force me to pass in front of a person performing salat, is it permissible for me to pass in front of him by walking toward one side with my back to him?
ANSWER
It is not sinful.