What are the correct opinions regarding the prayer of a person praying alone behind the rows? I hope that His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad will give us a comprehensive answer on this topic.
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The questioner : What are the correct opinions regarding the prayer of a person praying alone behind the imam? I hope that His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad will give us a comprehensive answer on this topic?
The Shaykh : Regarding the prayer of a person praying alone behind the rows, there are three opinions among the scholars. The first opinion is that the prayer is valid, but the person is contrary to the Sunnah, whether the row in front of him is complete or not. This is the well-known view in the schools of the three Imams: Malik, Abu Hanifah, and al-Shafi'i, and it is a narration from Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him) and may Allah have mercy on all the Imams of the Muslims. They argued for this by interpreting the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Bulugh al-Maram 2:327 as negating perfection rather than negating validity.
The second opinion is that the prayer of a person praying alone behind the rows for one rak'ah or more is invalid, whether the row in front of him is complete or not. These scholars argued based on the generality of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Bulugh al-Maram 2:327 and because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw a man praying behind the rows and ordered him to repeat the prayer.
The third opinion is the middle one, which states that if the row is complete, then praying alone behind it is permissible and valid. This is the choice of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), and it is the correct view. If you come to the mosque and find the row complete from the right and the left, there is no blame on you for praying alone, and your prayer is valid, based on the saying of Allah the Exalted:[At-Taghabun 64:16] and you have no ability to do more than that, because any other situation involves either pulling someone from the row to pray with you, or moving forward to pray with the imam, or leaving the congregation and praying alone, or praying with the congregation alone behind the rows due to the inability to enter the row. These are four situations. As for the first situation, which is pulling someone to pray with you, this entails three or four prohibitions. It entails opening a gap in the row, which breaks the row; it entails moving a man from a superior place to an inferior place; it usually entails disturbing him; and it entails the movement of the entire row, because it is customary that when a gap occurs, people move closer to one another, resulting in the movement of the entire row without a religious reason.
As for a person moving forward to pray with the imam, this involves one or more prohibitions. Among them is that if he moves forward and stands with the imam, this is contrary to the Sunnah, as the Sunnah is for the imam to be alone in his place to be the imam who is followed. If another person stands with him, it is as if the people have two imams. It is not valid to object to this by saying that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came while Abu Bakr was praying with the people, so he came during the prayer and sat to the left of Abu Bakr and completed the prayer while Abu Bakr was on his right, because that was a situation of necessity, and Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) may not have had a place in the row behind him. Another prohibition in a person moving forward to the imam is that he passes over the necks of people, passing over the first row, and if there are two rows in the mosque, he passes over two rows, and if there are three, he passes over three, and so on. This causes disturbance to the worshippers along with harm to them. Then, if we tell him to move forward to the imam and another man comes and does not find a place in the row and we tell him to move forward to the imam, and he moves forward, and a third comes and we tell him to move forward, and he moves forward, the person next to the imam becomes a complete row, which is undoubtedly contrary to the Sunnah.
As for leaving the congregation and praying alone, this involves missing the congregation and missing the alignment of the rows. It is known that praying with the congregation while being alone in a row is better than being alone in a place and working, being separate from the congregation, not aligning with them in their rows or their actions. As you can see, this opinion is indicated by the evidence and reasoning to be the stronger one, and Allah the Mighty and Majestic does not burden a soul beyond its capacity. Therefore, the stronger opinion in my view is that if a person comes and the row is complete, he prays behind the row with the congregation. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
This is a message we received from the listener Noura A B from Riyadh.
The Shaykh : Regarding the prayer of a person praying alone behind the rows, there are three opinions among the scholars. The first opinion is that the prayer is valid, but the person is contrary to the Sunnah, whether the row in front of him is complete or not. This is the well-known view in the schools of the three Imams: Malik, Abu Hanifah, and al-Shafi'i, and it is a narration from Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him) and may Allah have mercy on all the Imams of the Muslims. They argued for this by interpreting the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
The prayer of a person who prays alone behind the row is not accepted.
لا صلاة لمنفرد خلف الصفThe second opinion is that the prayer of a person praying alone behind the rows for one rak'ah or more is invalid, whether the row in front of him is complete or not. These scholars argued based on the generality of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
The prayer of a person who prays alone behind the row is not accepted.
لا صلاة لمنفرد خلف الصفThe third opinion is the middle one, which states that if the row is complete, then praying alone behind it is permissible and valid. This is the choice of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), and it is the correct view. If you come to the mosque and find the row complete from the right and the left, there is no blame on you for praying alone, and your prayer is valid, based on the saying of Allah the Exalted:
So fear Allah as much as you are able
فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْAs for a person moving forward to pray with the imam, this involves one or more prohibitions. Among them is that if he moves forward and stands with the imam, this is contrary to the Sunnah, as the Sunnah is for the imam to be alone in his place to be the imam who is followed. If another person stands with him, it is as if the people have two imams. It is not valid to object to this by saying that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came while Abu Bakr was praying with the people, so he came during the prayer and sat to the left of Abu Bakr and completed the prayer while Abu Bakr was on his right, because that was a situation of necessity, and Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) may not have had a place in the row behind him. Another prohibition in a person moving forward to the imam is that he passes over the necks of people, passing over the first row, and if there are two rows in the mosque, he passes over two rows, and if there are three, he passes over three, and so on. This causes disturbance to the worshippers along with harm to them. Then, if we tell him to move forward to the imam and another man comes and does not find a place in the row and we tell him to move forward to the imam, and he moves forward, and a third comes and we tell him to move forward, and he moves forward, the person next to the imam becomes a complete row, which is undoubtedly contrary to the Sunnah.
As for leaving the congregation and praying alone, this involves missing the congregation and missing the alignment of the rows. It is known that praying with the congregation while being alone in a row is better than being alone in a place and working, being separate from the congregation, not aligning with them in their rows or their actions. As you can see, this opinion is indicated by the evidence and reasoning to be the stronger one, and Allah the Mighty and Majestic does not burden a soul beyond its capacity. Therefore, the stronger opinion in my view is that if a person comes and the row is complete, he prays behind the row with the congregation. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
This is a message we received from the listener Noura A B from Riyadh.