Islamic Ruling on Stepping Over People in the Mosque

According to this fatwa and the statements of Islamic scholars, if people are sitting in the mosque and there is empty space in the front rows, then a person may step over the people to reach that empty space. But if the front rows are full, then stepping over people is not allowed. The Hadith in Sahih Ibn Hibban mentions that Abdullah bin Busr reported: A man came on Friday and stepped over people while the Prophet was giving the sermon. The Prophet told him to sit down because he caused trouble and was late. Islamic scholars like Imam Sharbini also explain that stepping over people is disliked unless there is empty space ahead that cannot be reached without stepping over.