Is the first row in the Haram the one behind the imam or the one closest to the Ka'bah?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question : May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. The questioner asks: What is considered the first row in the Masjid al-Haram? Is it the side of the Ka'bah, or is it directly behind the imam?
Answer : The first row is the one behind the imam; it is the one behind the imam, extending from one side to the other. Accordingly, those who are closer to the Ka'bah than the imam are not in the first row. The first row is the one behind the imam, extending until it reaches the other side. As for those who are ahead of the imam on a side other than the imam's side, they do not receive the reward of the first row because they are not in the first row. The most they can be is of the same kind as those who pray to the right and left of the imam.
Answer : The first row is the one behind the imam; it is the one behind the imam, extending from one side to the other. Accordingly, those who are closer to the Ka'bah than the imam are not in the first row. The first row is the one behind the imam, extending until it reaches the other side. As for those who are ahead of the imam on a side other than the imam's side, they do not receive the reward of the first row because they are not in the first row. The most they can be is of the same kind as those who pray to the right and left of the imam.
Source
قناة «فضيلة الشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين»، لقاء[13 من 63] هل الصف الأول في الحرم الذي يلي الإمام أم القريب من الكعبة؟!! ابن عثيمين -كبارالعلماء — youtube.com (0:10)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.