How is the departure of the imam described in the hadith: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade anyone to depart from the prayer before he himself departs”?

The questioner : Does departure mean turning from his place, from the direction of the qiblah to the direction of the worshippers? Does this mean a departure that allows a person to stand up from his position as a worshipper?

The Shaykh : If your question is not related to what came before, the line... I remind you of the hadith of the man with two hands. When the Messenger (peace be upon him) prayed the 'Asr prayer with two rak'ahs, the people quickly left the mosque. They did not wait; as soon as he said the taslim, they left from here, and so most people do. This is permissible and not forbidden in our time. But... regarding the Messenger (peace be upon him) in his time, the roads were narrow, and if the men and women left immediately after his taslim (peace be upon him), there might be mixing on the road. But now, the imam says the taslim from here, and the right and left sides say the taslim, and the followers depart from... there is no obstacle. This is among the meanings of His saying (Glorified and Exalted is He): . But the best, the best, is that you say: You seek forgiveness from Allah three times, you recite the dhikr... But this departure I am talking about now is not forbidden . However, if people are in a mosque and the men and women leave it at the same time, there might be mixing between them, so it is not permissible for the men to depart until the imam gives them permission in one way or another. The Messenger’s permission was his departure, which was either standing up from his place to his chamber, or facing his companions and others...

The questioner : In your opinion, is it considered a departure if he faces his companions?

The Shaykh : How?

The questioner : Is it called a departure?

The Shaykh: Yes ... .