The Command to Straighten the Rows in Prayer
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Some of the imams of prayer may not be very keen on applying the Sunnah by commanding the straightening and compacting of the rows. And when I enter such mosques where there are such imams, I find large gaps between the worshippers, so when I command them to straighten or compact the rows until I find a place in the first row, some people complain to me, saying: Do not move them, for you may take them out of the khushu' (humility) they are in. What is the ruling on that?
There is no doubt that the imam has a great responsibility in rectifying the conditions of the ma'mum (those praying behind him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to look around and command the straightening of the rows, until one time he saw a man whose chest was protruding, so he said: (O servants of Allah! You will straighten your rows, or Allah will cause discord between your hearts) And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would walk along the row himself, straightening the chests and shoulders of the ma'mum, commanding them to be even.
In the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, when the people increased, they appointed men to oversee the rows and pass over them. When they came and said that the rows were even, they would begin the takbir for prayer.
So when we know the care of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for this, and the care of the Rightly Guided Caliphs after him, it becomes clear to us that the matter is not trivial, and the imam is responsible for it. He is the one who commands compacting, commands straightening, and commands completing the first row, then the next, and he does not begin the takbir for prayer until they are even. This is the affair of the imam.
As for if you come and find that there are gaps between them, it is permissible for me to bring some of them closer to each other, whether I entered or not; because if I do that, I am only doing with them what is prescribed, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did with 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) when he stood to his left, so he took the back of his head and placed him to his right.
And here is a matter that must be noted: Some of the brothers, may Allah reward them with good, love to apply the Sunnah, so you find one arranging himself in the row and then opening his feet until he touches the foot of the person next to him. You find that from the bottom it is wide, his leg is very open, and from the top there is a space between him and his companion's shoulder. This is a mistake. This is not from the Sunnah. Understanding the Sunnah in this way is a mistake. The Companions were commanded to straighten and compact, so one of them would touch his heel to the heel of the other due to the compacting. They did not say: So one of us would open or spread his feet until he touched the heel of his brother.They did not say it this way, they did not say: He spreads,They said: He touches his heel to the heel of his brother due to the intensity of the compacting and not opening a gap in the row. And this is a point I wish my brothers who hear here or from the tape to pay attention to. I have found in some places that the row, you find it from the shoulders is spread out, reaching four fingers between one man and another. The shoulders are far apart and the heels are compacted. And this is an understanding of the Sunnah contrary to the truth. The intention is compacting.
The questioner: If you enter the mosque, do you bring them closer and move them?The Shaykh: Move them, but not in order to compact them extremely. You enter, but if you find a gap, bring them closer, whether you have a place or not.
There is no doubt that the imam has a great responsibility in rectifying the conditions of the ma'mum (those praying behind him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to look around and command the straightening of the rows, until one time he saw a man whose chest was protruding, so he said: (O servants of Allah! You will straighten your rows, or Allah will cause discord between your hearts) And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would walk along the row himself, straightening the chests and shoulders of the ma'mum, commanding them to be even.
In the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, when the people increased, they appointed men to oversee the rows and pass over them. When they came and said that the rows were even, they would begin the takbir for prayer.
So when we know the care of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for this, and the care of the Rightly Guided Caliphs after him, it becomes clear to us that the matter is not trivial, and the imam is responsible for it. He is the one who commands compacting, commands straightening, and commands completing the first row, then the next, and he does not begin the takbir for prayer until they are even. This is the affair of the imam.
As for if you come and find that there are gaps between them, it is permissible for me to bring some of them closer to each other, whether I entered or not; because if I do that, I am only doing with them what is prescribed, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did with 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) when he stood to his left, so he took the back of his head and placed him to his right.
And here is a matter that must be noted: Some of the brothers, may Allah reward them with good, love to apply the Sunnah, so you find one arranging himself in the row and then opening his feet until he touches the foot of the person next to him. You find that from the bottom it is wide, his leg is very open, and from the top there is a space between him and his companion's shoulder. This is a mistake. This is not from the Sunnah. Understanding the Sunnah in this way is a mistake. The Companions were commanded to straighten and compact, so one of them would touch his heel to the heel of the other due to the compacting. They did not say: So one of us would open or spread his feet until he touched the heel of his brother.They did not say it this way, they did not say: He spreads,They said: He touches his heel to the heel of his brother due to the intensity of the compacting and not opening a gap in the row. And this is a point I wish my brothers who hear here or from the tape to pay attention to. I have found in some places that the row, you find it from the shoulders is spread out, reaching four fingers between one man and another. The shoulders are far apart and the heels are compacted. And this is an understanding of the Sunnah contrary to the truth. The intention is compacting.
The questioner: If you enter the mosque, do you bring them closer and move them?The Shaykh: Move them, but not in order to compact them extremely. You enter, but if you find a gap, bring them closer, whether you have a place or not.