The ruling on the prayer of one who prays alone behind the rows

Question:
The questioner asks: What is the ruling on a person praying alone behind the rows, and is there a difference of opinion on this?

Answer:
It is not permissible for a person to pray alone behind the rows. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "There is no prayer for a lone person behind the rows." He also saw a man praying alone behind the rows and ordered him to repeat the prayer. Therefore, the prayer of a person praying alone behind the rows is not valid according to these two hadiths.
Some scholars say there is no harm in doing so out of necessity, because shaking hands is obligatory when possible, and in this situation, it is not possible to shake hands, so he would miss the prayer if he did not pray behind the rows. Since a condition is dropped when one is unable to fulfill it, and shaking hands is a condition, if one is unable to do it, the condition is dropped. However, there is no room for argument in the face of the hadiths, and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered the one he saw praying behind the rows to repeat the prayer. Therefore, we do not enter with independent reasoning (ijtihad) when an explicit text exists.