Discussion regarding the lines drawn in mosques to straighten and align the rows.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : ... in the mosques, they are used to ensure the straightness of the rows. This is for the sake of ...?
The Shaykh : It is a religious innovation (bid'ah), and it is an innovation that must be so, by the consensus of the scholars, even those who divide innovations into five categories. This is because it contradicts the Sunnah and leads people to ignorance regarding the straightening of the rows, which our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cared for with extreme attention. Many of the imams of the mosques have neglected this. I have not heard an imam say to the people:Sunan Ibn Majah 994Sahih (Darussalam), or similar hadiths.
The questioner : They exist in some mosques.
The Shaykh : Very rarely. As for the well-known mosques, they do not use this. The important thing is that the care for straightening the rows should come from the imam and from whoever may assist him, if the mosque is large, as happened in the time of 'Uthman. This helps them in what they are doing of neglecting the Sunnah regarding the straightening of the rows, and the care of the worshippers for it, relying on the lines. In my opinion, this is an innovation that contradicts the Sunnah.
The Shaykh : It is a religious innovation (bid'ah), and it is an innovation that must be so, by the consensus of the scholars, even those who divide innovations into five categories. This is because it contradicts the Sunnah and leads people to ignorance regarding the straightening of the rows, which our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cared for with extreme attention. Many of the imams of the mosques have neglected this. I have not heard an imam say to the people:
Make your rows straight or Allah will create division among you.
سوُّوا صفوفكم أو ليخالفنَّ الله بين وجوهكمThe questioner : They exist in some mosques.
The Shaykh : Very rarely. As for the well-known mosques, they do not use this. The important thing is that the care for straightening the rows should come from the imam and from whoever may assist him, if the mosque is large, as happened in the time of 'Uthman. This helps them in what they are doing of neglecting the Sunnah regarding the straightening of the rows, and the care of the worshippers for it, relying on the lines. In my opinion, this is an innovation that contradicts the Sunnah.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.