Is the hadith: “The angels pray for the right sides of the rows” authentic? And does the degree of virtue decrease as the worshipper moves further from the imam’s right?

The questioner : The questioner:The questioner : He says: , How strong is this hadith? And does the degree of virtue decrease such that the tenth person to the right of the row is better than the second or fifth, for example? What is the situation with ... the imam if everyone goes to the right?

The Shaykh: What I remember—unless I am forgetting—is that this hadith is weak, and therefore this objection does not apply. However, a similar objection applies to some authentic hadiths; because if it is asked: “What if people crowd each other and disagree?” then this or something similar has been mentioned regarding the first row, as he (peace be upon him) said: . So whatever applies to this authentic hadith applies to the one I mentioned as weak, as I recall. Therefore, if such a disagreement occurs, the answer is in the authentic hadith: . But do you find such a situation actually happening? ... It has an effect; because people are not all equal in their eagerness to perform acts of virtue. Some care about it, and some do not, and therefore no disagreement or crowding occurs. Furthermore, no quarreling occurs regarding prayer in the first row, which has been encouraged in more than one authentic hadith. It is even more likely that no such disagreement occurs regarding prayer on the right sides of the rows. If the hadith is authentic, its answer is the same as the answer from the authentic hadith encouraging the first row. If it is not authentic—as I think—the matter is easier.