How is the straightening of the rows in prayer achieved, and is khushu' a pillar of the prayer?

The questioner : Your Eminence, a discussion arose between me and some of my brothers regarding a matter that some committed young men fall into. I want a decisive word from you that Allah may make beneficial for me and for you. My father, I prayed in the Haram and a young man prayed next to me. He aligned himself with me and placed the toe of his foot on the toe of my foot. Every time I moved away from him, he followed me until I placed my foot on my other foot, without exaggeration. When I finished the prayer, I said to him: "My brother, I know that nothing motivated you to do this except following the Sunnah, but do you know that this action is from the Sunnah? What is in *Sahih al-Bukhari* regarding the action of the Companions is placing the heel against the heel, not the toes. Second, by doing this, you deviate from the qiblah with your feet because they end up in the shape of a seven. Third, I came to pray this single prayer in the Haram and I lost the most important thing for me, which is khushu'. Khushu' is a pillar, and touching the toes is not a Sunnah. Rather, even if you were touching the heels, it would not take precedence over the pillar, which is khushu'. My dear Shaykh, am I right or wrong? I see my brothers here in this mosque perhaps doing this, and I feel awkward in that situation with my brother. I find some of the brothers here practicing some Sunnahs even if they are harmful to their neighbors. I ask Allah to forgive me if I was wrong, and to benefit me and those present with your knowledge. May Allah keep you in His obedience?"

The Shaykh : This question is actually important, because the one who did what he did to our questioner in the Masjid al-Haram did not intend, as we think, anything other than following the Sunnah. But Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) said a word that we should keep in mind. He said: "Most of what people err in is ta'wil and qiyas". Ta'wil means interpretation.