A man asks about the prayer of a single person behind the row when the row is full: should he pull someone from the first row to complete the prayer with him, or what should he do?
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The questioner : The listener also asks about the prayer of a single person behind the row when the row is full: should he pull someone from the first row to complete the prayer with him, or what should he do?
The Shaykh : The answer to this is that many answers have already been given on this topic from this pulpit, the pulpit of "Light on the Path," and there is no harm in repeating the answer a second time.
The questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : We say that it is obligatory for a person, when he comes to the mosque, to enter the row, and it is not permissible for him to separate himself from the row, because the congregation aims at gathering in place and gathering in action. Gathering in place means being in one row, and gathering in action means following their imam. However, if you come and the row is already complete.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Then you are now between three or four matters.
The questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : Either you pull someone to pray with you behind the row, or you move forward to the imam to be on his right, for example.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Or you pray alone following the imam, or you leave and do not pray with the congregation.
Let us look and say: As for the first, which is pulling someone to pray with you behind the row, that is not established and it is not permissible for you to pull someone to pray with you behind the row, because this involves several precautions. The first precaution is causing disturbance to the person being pulled.
The questioner : Good, good.
The Shaykh : The second is encroaching on his right by moving him from the superior place to the inferior place.
The third is opening a gap in the row, which is contrary to what the Sunnah requires.
The fourth is that custom has established that when a gap opens, the row becomes unstable and the entire row moves to close this gap.
These four matters all result from pulling a person from the row to be with the one entering. As for moving forward to the imam to pray on his right, this is contrary to the Sunnah, because the Sunnah regarding the imam is that he should be alone in his place, because he is the imam and no one shares the imamate with him. If someone stands on his right, the purpose and the perfection of the imamate are lost. We do not know of any report from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) of such a situation. Furthermore, if he moves forward to the imam, there may be several rows between him and the imam, so he would have to pass through them and harm people by stepping over their necks. Then, if he moves forward to the imam and another man comes after him and finds no place, and we say "move forward to the imam," a full row might gather with the imam, because everyone who comes and finds no place in the row is told to move forward to the imam. In this, the contradiction of the Sunnah is apparent.
The questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : As for his leaving the congregation and not praying with them, this is abandoning the congregation without an excuse. It is not permissible for a person who is able to join the congregation to lag behind it or to leave it without an excuse. So the fourth possibility, or the fourth matter, remains: that he lines up behind the row alone, following his imam. Thus, he obtains the virtue of the congregation, even if he misses the place. But missing the place here is due to an excuse, which is the absence of a place for him in the row. So what he is unable to do, which is entering the row, is dropped from him, and he is obligated to do what he is able to do, which is praying with the congregation. This applies to the legal principles:[At-Taghabun 64:16] So let a person do what he is able to do, and what he is not able to do, he is not obligated to do.
It remains to be said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw a man praying behind the row and ordered him to repeat the prayer, and said:Bulugh al-Maram 2:327 So what is the answer to these two hadiths? We say that the answer to the first hadith, where the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw a man praying behind the row and ordered him to repeat the prayer, is that this is a specific case. Perhaps this man was able to enter the row, but he neglected it and prayed alone behind the row. It is known that if a person is able to enter the row but prays alone, he must repeat the prayer because lining up in the row is obligatory.
As for his saying:Bulugh al-Maram 2:327 The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) differed on this negation: is it a negation of perfection or a negation of validity? The three Imams—Malik, al-Shafi'i, and Abu Hanifa—held that this is a negation of perfection and not a negation of validity. This is one of the two narrations from Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him).
And on this basis, the three madhhabs and half of Imam Ahmad's madhhab indicate that the negation here is a negation of perfection and not a negation of validity.
However, the correct view is that the negation is a negation of validity, because the original meaning of negation is the negation of existence. If it is difficult to interpret it as a negation of existence because the thing exists, it is interpreted as a negation of validity, which is a negation of existence in the Shari'ah. If it is difficult to interpret it as a negation of validity because the evidence indicates that the thing is valid, it is interpreted as a negation of perfection.
So the correct view is that the negation of prayer in his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):Bulugh al-Maram 2:327 is a negation of validity. And if it is a negation of validity, it indicates the obligation for a person to enter the row, and if he does not do so, his prayer is invalid. However, the obligation is conditional on ability and capacity. Here, the person is unable to enter the row because it is full and complete, so this obligation is dropped from him.
And to this detailed opinion, which is supported by the evidence, went Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) and our Shaykh Abd al-Rahman ibn Sa'di (may Allah have mercy on him).
The second opinion in the issue is that the prayer of a single person behind the row is not valid, even with an excuse.
The third opinion is that the prayer of a single person behind the row is valid, even without an excuse.
The general rule is that when scholars differ with three opinions—two extremes and a middle—the general rule is that the middle is the correct one, because it takes from the evidence of these and the evidence of those, and from that a detailed middle opinion is formed between this and that.
And the summary of the answer is that whoever prays alone behind the row without an excuse must repeat the prayer, and whoever prays alone behind the row with an excuse does not have to repeat it, because he is excused. And Allah the Exalted said:[At-Taghabun 64:16] And He said: [Al-Baqarah 2:286] Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with the best reward for us and for the Muslims.
The Shaykh : The answer to this is that many answers have already been given on this topic from this pulpit, the pulpit of "Light on the Path," and there is no harm in repeating the answer a second time.
The questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : We say that it is obligatory for a person, when he comes to the mosque, to enter the row, and it is not permissible for him to separate himself from the row, because the congregation aims at gathering in place and gathering in action. Gathering in place means being in one row, and gathering in action means following their imam. However, if you come and the row is already complete.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Then you are now between three or four matters.
The questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : Either you pull someone to pray with you behind the row, or you move forward to the imam to be on his right, for example.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Or you pray alone following the imam, or you leave and do not pray with the congregation.
Let us look and say: As for the first, which is pulling someone to pray with you behind the row, that is not established and it is not permissible for you to pull someone to pray with you behind the row, because this involves several precautions. The first precaution is causing disturbance to the person being pulled.
The questioner : Good, good.
The Shaykh : The second is encroaching on his right by moving him from the superior place to the inferior place.
The third is opening a gap in the row, which is contrary to what the Sunnah requires.
The fourth is that custom has established that when a gap opens, the row becomes unstable and the entire row moves to close this gap.
These four matters all result from pulling a person from the row to be with the one entering. As for moving forward to the imam to pray on his right, this is contrary to the Sunnah, because the Sunnah regarding the imam is that he should be alone in his place, because he is the imam and no one shares the imamate with him. If someone stands on his right, the purpose and the perfection of the imamate are lost. We do not know of any report from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) of such a situation. Furthermore, if he moves forward to the imam, there may be several rows between him and the imam, so he would have to pass through them and harm people by stepping over their necks. Then, if he moves forward to the imam and another man comes after him and finds no place, and we say "move forward to the imam," a full row might gather with the imam, because everyone who comes and finds no place in the row is told to move forward to the imam. In this, the contradiction of the Sunnah is apparent.
The questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : As for his leaving the congregation and not praying with them, this is abandoning the congregation without an excuse. It is not permissible for a person who is able to join the congregation to lag behind it or to leave it without an excuse. So the fourth possibility, or the fourth matter, remains: that he lines up behind the row alone, following his imam. Thus, he obtains the virtue of the congregation, even if he misses the place. But missing the place here is due to an excuse, which is the absence of a place for him in the row. So what he is unable to do, which is entering the row, is dropped from him, and he is obligated to do what he is able to do, which is praying with the congregation. This applies to the legal principles:
So fear Allah as much as you are able
فاتقوا الله ما استطعتمIt remains to be said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw a man praying behind the row and ordered him to repeat the prayer, and said:
The prayer of a person who prays alone behind the row is not accepted.
لا صلاة لمنفرد خلف الصفAs for his saying:
The prayer of a person who prays alone behind the row is not accepted.
لا صلاة لمنفرد خلف الصفAnd on this basis, the three madhhabs and half of Imam Ahmad's madhhab indicate that the negation here is a negation of perfection and not a negation of validity.
However, the correct view is that the negation is a negation of validity, because the original meaning of negation is the negation of existence. If it is difficult to interpret it as a negation of existence because the thing exists, it is interpreted as a negation of validity, which is a negation of existence in the Shari'ah. If it is difficult to interpret it as a negation of validity because the evidence indicates that the thing is valid, it is interpreted as a negation of perfection.
So the correct view is that the negation of prayer in his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):
The prayer of a person who prays alone behind the row is not accepted.
لا صلاة لمنفرد خلف الصفAnd to this detailed opinion, which is supported by the evidence, went Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) and our Shaykh Abd al-Rahman ibn Sa'di (may Allah have mercy on him).
The second opinion in the issue is that the prayer of a single person behind the row is not valid, even with an excuse.
The third opinion is that the prayer of a single person behind the row is valid, even without an excuse.
The general rule is that when scholars differ with three opinions—two extremes and a middle—the general rule is that the middle is the correct one, because it takes from the evidence of these and the evidence of those, and from that a detailed middle opinion is formed between this and that.
And the summary of the answer is that whoever prays alone behind the row without an excuse must repeat the prayer, and whoever prays alone behind the row with an excuse does not have to repeat it, because he is excused. And Allah the Exalted said:
So fear Allah as much as you are able
فاتقوا الله ما استطعتمAllah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity
لا يكلف الله نفسا إلا وسعهاThe questioner : May Allah reward you with the best reward for us and for the Muslims.