The first row in the Haram is behind the imam
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question : Honorable Shaykh, does each side of the Ka'bah have a first row, or is the first row only the one behind the imam?
Answer : Yes, the first row is the one that is behind the imam. This is because the imam is the imam of the congregation, and he is the one they follow. So the first row is the one immediately behind the imam. As for the rows that are ahead of the imam, if they are in the direction of the imam, they are invalid, because it is not permissible for a person to be ahead of his imam. But if they are in the other directions, some scholars have allowed it, saying there is no harm in the followers being closer to the Ka'bah in those other directions than the imam is in his direction.
Answer : Yes, the first row is the one that is behind the imam. This is because the imam is the imam of the congregation, and he is the one they follow. So the first row is the one immediately behind the imam. As for the rows that are ahead of the imam, if they are in the direction of the imam, they are invalid, because it is not permissible for a person to be ahead of his imam. But if they are in the other directions, some scholars have allowed it, saying there is no harm in the followers being closer to the Ka'bah in those other directions than the imam is in his direction.
Source
قناة «فضيلة الشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين»، لقاء[21 من 200] الصف الأول في الحرم يكون خلف الإمام - الشيخ ابن عثيمين - مشروع كبار العلماء — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.