How to Align the Rows in Prayer
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
May Allah reward you with good and do you well. One of the sisters from al-Sharai' sent a message saying: The presenter, J-K-A (Jim Kaf 'Ayn), Makkah al-Mukarramah, al-Sharai'. Our sister says in her message: I have noticed that some women, when standing for congregational prayer, do not stand properly in the rows. You see some of them standing ahead of others, some behind, and the rows are crooked, even though the imam, before saying the takbir, points to the need for straightness and alignment. I have already pointed this out to them, but there is no life in one who calls out. We ask you, Honorable Shaykh, to speak to them on this matter so that the benefit may be widespread. May Allah reward you with good and do you well.
The Shaykh:
There is no doubt that it is obligatory to straighten the rows and complete them, both for men and for women. It is not permissible to neglect the order of the rows; rather, one must pay attention to them as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded: straightening the rows, standing close together, filling in the gaps, and not advancing or retreating. Rather, one should stand aligned with the shoulders and heels of the person next to him. Each person praying should be aligned with his neighbor in shoulder and heel. This is the standard. If the heels are aligned and the shoulders are aligned, the row is straight. If they are misaligned, the row is misaligned. This is what is required of men and women. The women stand in rows behind the men, exactly like the rows of the men. It is not permissible for them to scatter or break up in the mosque, or to neglect the etiquettes of the rows. All of this is not permissible. Also, on this occasion, we point out an issue that frequently occurs among men and women in the rows: some of them spread their legs when they stand, so that the space between them bothers the people on either side.
The presenter:
Meaning he widens the space between them.
The Shaykh:
Yes, meaning he widens the space between them and bothers the person next to him on this side and that side. He opens a gap between his legs in the row, and this is not prescribed. I do not know where they got this from. It is a bad phenomenon. The requirement is to fill the gaps and holes in the rows, not to spread the legs apart and open up the space between them. This is an affectation for which Allah has not sent down any authority. What is required is that the worshippers stand close to one another, not that they spread their legs and leave openings between their legs in the row, thereby bothering those next to them. This is not prescribed and is a bad phenomenon. Also, some of them, when they prostrate or bow, extend their elbows here and there until they bother the person next to them. Or when they sit for the tashahhud, they also widen the space between their thighs and take up space in the row, thereby bothering the person next to them. All of this is affectation, neglect of the row, and harm to the person next to them. It is obligatory to be aware of these matters. Yes.
May Allah reward you with good and do you well. One of the sisters from al-Sharai' sent a message saying: The presenter, J-K-A (Jim Kaf 'Ayn), Makkah al-Mukarramah, al-Sharai'. Our sister says in her message: I have noticed that some women, when standing for congregational prayer, do not stand properly in the rows. You see some of them standing ahead of others, some behind, and the rows are crooked, even though the imam, before saying the takbir, points to the need for straightness and alignment. I have already pointed this out to them, but there is no life in one who calls out. We ask you, Honorable Shaykh, to speak to them on this matter so that the benefit may be widespread. May Allah reward you with good and do you well.
The Shaykh:
There is no doubt that it is obligatory to straighten the rows and complete them, both for men and for women. It is not permissible to neglect the order of the rows; rather, one must pay attention to them as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded: straightening the rows, standing close together, filling in the gaps, and not advancing or retreating. Rather, one should stand aligned with the shoulders and heels of the person next to him. Each person praying should be aligned with his neighbor in shoulder and heel. This is the standard. If the heels are aligned and the shoulders are aligned, the row is straight. If they are misaligned, the row is misaligned. This is what is required of men and women. The women stand in rows behind the men, exactly like the rows of the men. It is not permissible for them to scatter or break up in the mosque, or to neglect the etiquettes of the rows. All of this is not permissible. Also, on this occasion, we point out an issue that frequently occurs among men and women in the rows: some of them spread their legs when they stand, so that the space between them bothers the people on either side.
The presenter:
Meaning he widens the space between them.
The Shaykh:
Yes, meaning he widens the space between them and bothers the person next to him on this side and that side. He opens a gap between his legs in the row, and this is not prescribed. I do not know where they got this from. It is a bad phenomenon. The requirement is to fill the gaps and holes in the rows, not to spread the legs apart and open up the space between them. This is an affectation for which Allah has not sent down any authority. What is required is that the worshippers stand close to one another, not that they spread their legs and leave openings between their legs in the row, thereby bothering those next to them. This is not prescribed and is a bad phenomenon. Also, some of them, when they prostrate or bow, extend their elbows here and there until they bother the person next to them. Or when they sit for the tashahhud, they also widen the space between their thighs and take up space in the row, thereby bothering the person next to them. All of this is affectation, neglect of the row, and harm to the person next to them. It is obligatory to be aware of these matters. Yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، 4013- كيفية تسوية الصفوف في الصلاة — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.