The worshippers on one floor with the rows following one another and being tightly packed as much as possible
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Q: I am the imam of a congregational mosque, and this mosque consists of three floors: a floor where the imam prays with those behind him, and two upper floors. There is a bathroom, may Allah reward you, beneath the floor where the imam prays, and a women’s prayer area. There is also a basement beneath all of this, where the imam cannot be seen, but his voice is heard through the speakers. The question, O honorable Shaykh: What is the ruling on the prayer of the ma’mums in general in this basement? Knowing that some of the ma’mums are elderly and cannot climb to the floor where the imam prays; they need to climb approximately 30 steps to reach the floor where the imam prays, and the basement is easy and convenient for them, as it is nearly level with the ground. Also, many of the young people who are able to climb to the imam’s floor pray in this basement, which fills up during some of the obligatory prayers. Knowing that the floor where the imam prays is very large and can accommodate hundreds of worshippers, and it happens that one or two rows pray behind the imam while the basement is full. If the prayer is permissible in general, what is the best for the young people who are able to pray behind the imam? The second question: If the sound is cut off between the imam and the ma’mums
who are in the basement, how do they complete their prayer? We ask your eminence to kindly respond to this inquiry, as it concerns the people of the entire neighborhood, and we have been praying in this mosque in this state for more than two years, and may Allah reward you with all good.
A: The Sunnah is for the worshippers to be on one floor with the rows following one another and being tightly packed as much as possible. It is permissible for some of the ma’mums to pray in the basement (the lower level), even if the imam is on another floor, as in the case mentioned in the question. Those who pray in the basement must not be ahead of the imam. When the imam’s voice is cut off from those praying in the basement, one of them should lead them, and they should complete the remainder of their prayer with him, or they should complete it individually.
who are in the basement, how do they complete their prayer? We ask your eminence to kindly respond to this inquiry, as it concerns the people of the entire neighborhood, and we have been praying in this mosque in this state for more than two years, and may Allah reward you with all good.
A: The Sunnah is for the worshippers to be on one floor with the rows following one another and being tightly packed as much as possible. It is permissible for some of the ma’mums to pray in the basement (the lower level), even if the imam is on another floor, as in the case mentioned in the question. Those who pray in the basement must not be ahead of the imam. When the imam’s voice is cut off from those praying in the basement, one of them should lead them, and they should complete the remainder of their prayer with him, or they should complete it individually.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.