What is the evidence for placing the imam in the middle of the row for prayer?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Now comes the other matter, which is naturally a hadith: This is also weak.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : Is there another hadith that also supports this ruling, placing the imam in the middle, and that it is a recommended practice?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Very good.
The Shaykh : The hadith of Jabir and Jabbar.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : When "the Messenger of Allah was praying at night, Jabir stood on his right."
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : "When Jabbar came, he stood on his left, so he pushed them like this." I applied this with some guests, and I do not know if it was with some of my children and grandchildren or others.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : The point is, I no longer remember now; they formed two rows, two people, one stood behind me and the other on his right.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Or the reverse, I no longer remember now. So I told them this is contrary to the Sunnah. They said, how? I said, when the Messenger of Allah pushed them like this, the two were behind him and he was in the middle of them.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : And he did not push them a little to the right or a little to the left.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : This is a practical application of the hadith.
The questioner : Very good.
Place your imam in the middle and fill in the gaps between you.
وسِّطوا إمامكم ، وسدُّوا خللكمThe Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : Is there another hadith that also supports this ruling, placing the imam in the middle, and that it is a recommended practice?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Very good.
The Shaykh : The hadith of Jabir and Jabbar.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : When "the Messenger of Allah was praying at night, Jabir stood on his right."
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : "When Jabbar came, he stood on his left, so he pushed them like this." I applied this with some guests, and I do not know if it was with some of my children and grandchildren or others.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : The point is, I no longer remember now; they formed two rows, two people, one stood behind me and the other on his right.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Or the reverse, I no longer remember now. So I told them this is contrary to the Sunnah. They said, how? I said, when the Messenger of Allah pushed them like this, the two were behind him and he was in the middle of them.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : And he did not push them a little to the right or a little to the left.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : This is a practical application of the hadith.
The questioner : Very good.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.