Excellence of the First Row
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The questioner : Excellence of the Shaykh! If a man enters the mosque on Friday, should he complete the first row if it is long, or should he move closer to the imam?
The Shaykh : No, it is better to complete the first row, whether in the Friday prayer or in any other prayer.And the evidence for that is: The saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "If the people knew what is in the call to prayer and the first row, and they found no way to get there except by drawing lots, they would draw lots." This means: if they found no way to the first row except by lottery, they would do so, because of the great reward in it. And completing the first row, then the next, is also the Sunnah.By the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Do you not line up as the angels line up before their Lord?They said: How is that, O Messenger of Allah?He said: They stand close together and complete the first row, then the next,or he said: they complete the first row, then the next."
The Shaykh : No, it is better to complete the first row, whether in the Friday prayer or in any other prayer.And the evidence for that is: The saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "If the people knew what is in the call to prayer and the first row, and they found no way to get there except by drawing lots, they would draw lots." This means: if they found no way to the first row except by lottery, they would do so, because of the great reward in it. And completing the first row, then the next, is also the Sunnah.By the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Do you not line up as the angels line up before their Lord?They said: How is that, O Messenger of Allah?He said: They stand close together and complete the first row, then the next,or he said: they complete the first row, then the next."