How the Imam Straightens the Rows in Prayer

Question : He asks: What is the ruling on straightening the rows in prayer? And what are the words the imam chooses to use to straighten the rows?

Answer : Yes, straightening the rows of the congregation is obligatory according to the stronger position, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to straighten the rows of his Companions until it was as if he were straightening arrows. So when he saw that his Companions had understood him and grasped what he said, he went out one day, and when he was about to say the opening takbir, he saw a man whose chest was protruding. He turned and said, "O servants of Allah, straighten your rows, or Allah will cause discord among your faces." He threatened them that Allah would cause discord among their faces, meaning among their viewpoints, until they would be scattered, because just as they differed in their stance, they would differ in their methodology. So straightening the row is obligatory. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would walk over the chests from one end of the row to the other, straightening them by the shoulders and chests. When the people increased in the era of the Caliphs, they appointed people to straighten the rows, appointing men to straighten them, until 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) appointed men to straighten the rows, and he would not say the opening takbir until the appointed men came and said, "O Commander of the Faithful, the rows have been straightened." 'Uthman ibn al-Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) did the same. What we see today of people’s laxity in this matter is one of the matters in which ignorance has become widespread among Muslims today. As for what the imam says, he says, "Straighten up," "Straighten your rows," "Straightening the row is part of the completion of the prayer." But the point is not just that he says it; the point is that he turns to the ma'mum (those praying behind him) and says, "So-and-so, move forward, you are behind," "So-and-so, move back, you are ahead," and he straightens them in practice. It is not enough to just say, "Straighten up," "Stand straight." This is not sufficient. It is necessary to implement the meanings of these words. But many imams today think that these are just words to be said, but they have no spirit. In fact, some people told me that one day he stood up to pray in congregation with a friend of his. Where does one stand if he wants to pray with one imam? Where does he stand? On his right. So when he stood on his right, he turned and said, "Straighten up," and there was only one person, or was it ten?
One person says, "Why the badness?" Because they think that this word is just a word to be said. Therefore, the imam must try to teach people in both speech and action.