The Shaykh Al-Albani’s clarification of the place where the imam must stand relative to the mihrab in congregational prayer.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : The position your deputy took and your position, is it different from his?
The questioner : It is different from his.
The Shaykh : Ah, tell me, what is the difference in position between you and him?
The questioner : The brother’s position is that he places his hands.
The Shaykh : No, no, it is not a position.
The questioner : Yes, yes.
The Shaykh : What am I talking about regarding Al-Albani, I am, O Abu Ayyub.
The questioner : The same position.
The Shaykh : The same, ah, ah, so I have a two-part suggestion.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : The first is, instead of standing to the right of the mihrab.
The questioner : Or to its left.
The Shaykh : The one who is not... that Turkish one says.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Instead of standing to the right of the mihrab, which has no basis in the Sunnah, and all the mosques have been afflicted by standing to its left, the mihrab is here.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : We do not stand here, we stand here, because the right is better than the left. So if there must be an extension on one side of the row, either right or left, let the extension be on the right, not on the left.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Now, with your standing here, you are reversing the issue, clear?
The questioner : ... the right.
The Shaykh : Yes, so then stand to the left of the mihrab.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : May Allah reward you with good.
The questioner : Sometimes I do what? I place a sutrah in the mihrab itself, wide, just like this one exactly.
The Shaykh : No problem, good.
The questioner : Place it in the mihrab like this, here.
The Shaykh: There is nothing wrong with it.
The questioner : ... then I pray toward it.
The Shaykh : Yes, but this is better until this unknown and neglected Sunnah spreads among the people. When people realize that the presence of this mihrab in the houses of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) was a matter that did not exist in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), then there is no harm in placing such a sutrah in the middle of the mihrab. Why do I say this? Because placing the sutrah in the mihrab may imply that he is praying toward the mihrab, whereas the position we suggested, or rather the position you were doing, makes it perfectly clear that this imam is not praying in the mihrab. You missed something, of course, from my speech.
The questioner : No, no, I heard it perfectly.
The Shaykh : I heard it. Well, so it is better to stand to the left of the mihrab.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : This is the first part.
The questioner: Yes.
The questioner : It is different from his.
The Shaykh : Ah, tell me, what is the difference in position between you and him?
The questioner : The brother’s position is that he places his hands.
The Shaykh : No, no, it is not a position.
The questioner : Yes, yes.
The Shaykh : What am I talking about regarding Al-Albani, I am, O Abu Ayyub.
The questioner : The same position.
The Shaykh : The same, ah, ah, so I have a two-part suggestion.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : The first is, instead of standing to the right of the mihrab.
The questioner : Or to its left.
The Shaykh : The one who is not... that Turkish one says.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Instead of standing to the right of the mihrab, which has no basis in the Sunnah, and all the mosques have been afflicted by standing to its left, the mihrab is here.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : We do not stand here, we stand here, because the right is better than the left. So if there must be an extension on one side of the row, either right or left, let the extension be on the right, not on the left.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Now, with your standing here, you are reversing the issue, clear?
The questioner : ... the right.
The Shaykh : Yes, so then stand to the left of the mihrab.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : May Allah reward you with good.
The questioner : Sometimes I do what? I place a sutrah in the mihrab itself, wide, just like this one exactly.
The Shaykh : No problem, good.
The questioner : Place it in the mihrab like this, here.
The Shaykh: There is nothing wrong with it.
The questioner : ... then I pray toward it.
The Shaykh : Yes, but this is better until this unknown and neglected Sunnah spreads among the people. When people realize that the presence of this mihrab in the houses of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) was a matter that did not exist in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), then there is no harm in placing such a sutrah in the middle of the mihrab. Why do I say this? Because placing the sutrah in the mihrab may imply that he is praying toward the mihrab, whereas the position we suggested, or rather the position you were doing, makes it perfectly clear that this imam is not praying in the mihrab. You missed something, of course, from my speech.
The questioner : No, no, I heard it perfectly.
The Shaykh : I heard it. Well, so it is better to stand to the left of the mihrab.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : This is the first part.
The questioner: Yes.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.