The ruling on adults and children moving to the front row and reserving places
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
One of the sisters is asking. She says: Even the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had the elders in the front row. So some imams disapprove of the young people and prevent them from the front row, especially the middle section behind the imam. They tell them, “This is not your place; the elders move forward.” What is your opinion?
The Shaykh:
Yes, it is obligatory for the adults to move forward and take the space behind the imam. They should take the best part of the mosque. If the children come and find it occupied, they will not enter it. However, if the adults are late and the children come and find this place empty, they will enter it. As long as they are of the age of discernment and their prayer is valid, they have taken precedence, and it is not permissible to remove them from this place because they arrived first, and their prayer is valid. Yes, so it is obligatory for the adults to move forward, based on the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) He (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Let him..." Sunan Abi Dawud 674Sahih (Al-Albani) This means encouraging early arrival. Yes.
The questioner:
May Allah reward you, and regarding reserving places in the Friday prayer, may Allah bless you.
The Shaykh:
If the person who reserved the space is present in the mosque, for example, he goes to perform wudu or to attend to a need and then returns shortly, or he sits in the back of the mosque to lean his back against something, there is no harm in that. However, if he reserves the space and then leaves and is delayed due to his business, sleep, or buying and selling, this is not permissible; it is forbidden. It is forbidden and not permissible. There is no harm in removing this barrier and allowing someone who arrived early to sit in it. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah bless you
One of the sisters is asking. She says: Even the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had the elders in the front row. So some imams disapprove of the young people and prevent them from the front row, especially the middle section behind the imam. They tell them, “This is not your place; the elders move forward.” What is your opinion?
The Shaykh:
Yes, it is obligatory for the adults to move forward and take the space behind the imam. They should take the best part of the mosque. If the children come and find it occupied, they will not enter it. However, if the adults are late and the children come and find this place empty, they will enter it. As long as they are of the age of discernment and their prayer is valid, they have taken precedence, and it is not permissible to remove them from this place because they arrived first, and their prayer is valid. Yes, so it is obligatory for the adults to move forward, based on the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)
Move forward and complete the prayer with me.
تقدموا فأتموا بي.of your who are sedate and prudent
منكم أولو الأحلام والنهىThe questioner:
May Allah reward you, and regarding reserving places in the Friday prayer, may Allah bless you.
The Shaykh:
If the person who reserved the space is present in the mosque, for example, he goes to perform wudu or to attend to a need and then returns shortly, or he sits in the back of the mosque to lean his back against something, there is no harm in that. However, if he reserves the space and then leaves and is delayed due to his business, sleep, or buying and selling, this is not permissible; it is forbidden. It is forbidden and not permissible. There is no harm in removing this barrier and allowing someone who arrived early to sit in it. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah bless you
Source
نور على الدرب - الفوزان - 03/185 — archive.org (6:20)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.