a group from the predecessors held this view, as mentioned in "Maʿālim al-Sunan" by al-Khaṭṭābī, and Ibn al-Qayyim supported it in "Zād al-Maʿād." al-Ṭabarī disagreed in "Tahdhīb al-Āthār" (p. 321 - the missing part, edited by ʿAlī Riḍā) and claimed that the meaning of "It cuts" in this context is similar to his saying (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam): "When one of you prays towards a sutrah, let him come close to it so that Satan does not cut off his prayer," which is an authentic ḥadīth recorded in "Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd" (692 and 695)! al-Ṭabarī said: "It is known that Satan cutting off the prayer of the one praying is not merely by passing in front of him, but also by causing him to have doubts and distractions, and occupying his heart with things other than his prayer, thereby invalidating and cutting it off." So I say: This is a strange and peculiar statement from such an eminent ḥāfiẓ, as it resembles the speech of those who negate the texts of attributes by interpreting them in a way that nullifies their indication. Here is the explanation: The imam conceded that Satan cuts off the prayer not only by passing but also by whispering. How then can it be correct to equate the cutting by the passing of the three categories with Satan's cutting, when none of them involve whispering, which is inherent to Satan by the explicit text of the Quran: (who whispers in the breasts of mankind)?! It only involves passing. Is this not a clear negation of the reason for passing mentioned in the ḥadīth of the categories compared to the other ḥadīth?! This is because Satan whispers even without passing, as in the ḥadīth: "When one of you stands to pray, Satan comes and confuses his prayer until he does not know how much he has prayed..." This ḥadīth is agreed upon and recorded in "Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd" (943), and therefore, passing is not mentioned in the other ḥadīth, unlike the first ḥadīth of the three categories. Thus, they differ, and it is not permissible to equate or compare them in the meaning of "cutting."