Is placing lines and threads to straighten the rows in the mosque from the category of unlegislated public interests or from the category of religious innovations?

The Shaykh : I remembered something I had forgotten, and nothing made me forget it except Shaytan, so I mention it. I said in the midst of my speech that I would give two examples for the first case: an old example that the scholars addressed, which is the adhan for the two Eid prayers, and a recent example. I forgot to mention the recent example, which is our practice in our time today. As you know, in most mosques, lines have been drawn under the claim of straightening the rows. This line is also a real example of a means that achieves a benefit. So, is this from the first category? Or the second? Or the third? I say that placing lines in mosques in general is like the adhan for the Eid prayers, the prayer for rain, and the eclipse prayers; it is not prescribed. The reason is that drawing a line is an easy matter and is not specific to this time, because it is not like using the car or the airplane, which required the efforts of scholars over many years until they reached it. Therefore, it is not permissible to draw a line in the mosque for this reason. First, the Messenger of Allah did not prescribe it, and it was easy for him to straighten the rows. Second, relying on lines and threads stretched in mosques, whether it is a line of thread or a line woven into the carpet, is in any case a line. If this were prescribed, they would have taken the obvious means, which is stretching threads, as they do in most mosques. This is not prescribed for the reasons I mentioned earlier regarding the adhan for these prayers. But there is another thing, and it is very important: training people and accustoming them to straighten their rows on the line means that if they pray in a place where there is no line, their rows will be disordered and not straight. We know for certain that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cared greatly, and very greatly, about ordering the straightening of the rows, and he based the well-being of the hearts of the Ummah on the implementation of such an order. This is a very great matter. Among the things he (peace and blessings be upon him) would say when ordering them to straighten their rows was: And there is no doubt that those commanded among the Companions of the noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) responded to the order issued by him (peace and blessings be upon him) and straightened their rows. How did they straighten their rows? On a line? On a thread? No. They straightened their rows on an imaginary line that they realized and made a reality, so their row would be straight, just as if it were on a thread, if you allow this expression. Do you allow this expression, Professor? Or were you not with us?
Abu Malik: No, we are with you, we are with you, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : Do you allow this expression?
Abu Malik: Yes, indeed.

The Shaykh : Why? Because they cared about implementing the order of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not make this difficult order easy to achieve in practice, as some imams of mosques or some officials in the Ministry of Awqaf do today. I do not know who is actually responsible for this religious innovation, because this religious innovation must be an innovation of misguidance by the consensus of the Ummah, including those who divide religious innovation into five categories. Because these people said that this innovation of misguidance is the one that contradicts the Sunnah. And there is no doubt that drawing this line contradicts the Sunnah. The evidence is that if we go out to the open field to pray the Eid prayer according to the Sunnah, which he (peace and blessings be upon him) used to go out to the desert for, or to pray the prayer for rain, you will find that the rows are something that truly disturbs the heart. People do not straighten their rows at all, especially if the row is long, stretching across the width of the area where they gathered for prayer. They do not straighten them well. Why? Because they have not trained themselves to straighten the row in a mosque with four walls, which might be, for example, ten meters, twenty meters, or more or less in length. Therefore, training people to straighten the row on the thread prevents them from accustoming themselves to this straightening without the straightening that the Companions of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to practice when he ordered them with the previous hadith, and between such as his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): or as in some narrations: If the line is drawn today, it is true that it achieves a benefit for these people lining up in the mosque, but the greater benefit is lost because of it. Therefore, this means is not prescribed, even if it achieves a benefit. I return to give an example of a means that is good for us to make for the second type of unlegislated public interests, which is where the cause was found, but the motive for creating it is the negligence of Muslims in performing some of the rulings of the religion. Its example, and here is the point.