Ruling on the follower praying to the left of the imam when there are two
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Your Eminence! A young man entered the mosque and found a man praying. He wanted to follow him in prayer but did not know where the follower should stand, so he stood to his left. Then a third person came and wanted to join them in prayer, so the follower pushed the imam aside and moved the imam back until the prayer ended. What is the ruling?
In any case, what happened on their part is undoubtedly due to ignorance, and ignorance in such matters is excused. Therefore, the prayer of all of them is valid.But suppose no third person came to them and they remained like this: The follower was on the left and the imam on the right, so the prayer is valid because it was also due to ignorance. The Sunnah, when there is an imam and a follower, is for the imam to be on the left of the follower and the follower on the right of the imam. This is the Sunnah.
If one of them is in the opposite position, their prayer is valid, but they should be informed that the Sunnah is for the follower to be on the right of the imam. In this case, their standing positions are equal, and the imam is not ahead of the follower, because in this situation they form a single row, and a single row is equal.
If a third person comes, some people are unsure whether to push the imam and move the follower back, or to say the takbir first. We say: move the follower back, and then, once you are in your place, say the takbir.Or we say: Bring the imam forward, and once you are aligned with the follower, say the takbir. Sometimes bringing the imam forward is easier, such as if the space in front of him is wide. Sometimes moving the follower back is easier, such as if the space in front of them is narrow and the space behind them is wide. The important thing is that there is no difference between bringing the imam forward or moving the follower back, but do not say the takbir before that, so as not to necessitate movement in the prayer that is not needed.
The questioner: What is the concern if that is done knowingly?The Shaykh: The concern here is that the imam might continue with the intention of being the imam even though he has become a follower. As for transitioning from being an imam to being a follower, there is nothing wrong with that. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) transitioned from being an imam to being a follower when he was leading people in prayer. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came, and during the prayer, Abu Bakr moved back and became a follower, with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as the imam.
In any case, what happened on their part is undoubtedly due to ignorance, and ignorance in such matters is excused. Therefore, the prayer of all of them is valid.But suppose no third person came to them and they remained like this: The follower was on the left and the imam on the right, so the prayer is valid because it was also due to ignorance. The Sunnah, when there is an imam and a follower, is for the imam to be on the left of the follower and the follower on the right of the imam. This is the Sunnah.
If one of them is in the opposite position, their prayer is valid, but they should be informed that the Sunnah is for the follower to be on the right of the imam. In this case, their standing positions are equal, and the imam is not ahead of the follower, because in this situation they form a single row, and a single row is equal.
If a third person comes, some people are unsure whether to push the imam and move the follower back, or to say the takbir first. We say: move the follower back, and then, once you are in your place, say the takbir.Or we say: Bring the imam forward, and once you are aligned with the follower, say the takbir. Sometimes bringing the imam forward is easier, such as if the space in front of him is wide. Sometimes moving the follower back is easier, such as if the space in front of them is narrow and the space behind them is wide. The important thing is that there is no difference between bringing the imam forward or moving the follower back, but do not say the takbir before that, so as not to necessitate movement in the prayer that is not needed.
The questioner: What is the concern if that is done knowingly?The Shaykh: The concern here is that the imam might continue with the intention of being the imam even though he has become a follower. As for transitioning from being an imam to being a follower, there is nothing wrong with that. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) transitioned from being an imam to being a follower when he was leading people in prayer. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came, and during the prayer, Abu Bakr moved back and became a follower, with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as the imam.