What is the ruling on praying behind the rows alone? And is it permissible for the one praying alone to pull one of the worshippers from the row to stand with him?

The questioner : As for the one praying alone behind the rows, meaning a person who entered the mosque and found all the rows complete, here if he takes a man from the row, naturally it results in breaking the row.

The Shaykh : What would that be?

The questioner : It would be breaking the front row.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : And if he prays alone, he falls into the caution mentioned in ; so what should he do? Is there a dispensation for him such that he does not pray until the congregation finishes?

The Shaykh : It is not permissible for him to wait for the congregation to finish; rather, he must, if he exerts his effort, join the row in front of him. If he does not find space to join it, he prays alone, and his prayer is valid. This is because the hadiths that came confirm that . It is like any hadith that rules on the invalidity of the prayer due to the failure to perform a pillar of it, such as, for example, . Likewise, . So if one prays sitting while he is able to stand, his prayer is invalid because he left a pillar; but if he is unable to pray standing, his prayer is valid if he prays sitting. Likewise, . This is qualified by the principle . As long as the situation is that he entered the mosque and did not find a gap in the row to fill, even by bringing someone from his right or left a little, and he has no way to do so, one cannot say, "Do what you cannot do." No one says this.


The questioner : What is your opinion of the one who says, meaning, he takes a worshipper from the front row on the basis of the saying of the one who argues with that, the saying of Allah the Exalted: . And that there is sometimes a specificity that permits breaking the row, such as if the ma'mum standing in that row's wudu' is broken, so he leaves the row and has left a gap, or the imam may leave and appoint a substitute, so he also leaves a gap. This would be a specificity that permits such a person entering to take a person and establish a new row with him.

The Shaykh : I believe that this fiqh is from the fiqh of the mujtahids of the last times; because he does not do qiyas (analogical reasoning) well. The one whose wudu' is broken in the row, it is obligatory for him to withdraw; but it is not so if a man who adopts this opinion comes and finds the row in front of him full, packed, and crowded, and he pulls one of them, and he does not respond to him and stands firm, is this like that? They are not equal, for example. That one is obligated to withdraw to renew his wudu' and come and join the congregation; as for this one who is pulled against his will, it is not obligatory for him to withdraw with his brother to the third row, for example, or the second row. Then what obligates him to cooperate in righteousness and piety? This, of course, is not absolute but is qualified within the limits of the Shari'ah. This man who delays from the row to the empty row in order to pull this one praying alone to do such an action should have permission from the Wise Lawgiver. And so it is said to him, "A text," if the hadith narrated by Abu Ya'la and others were authentic, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: , the problem would have ended. But as long as the hadith's chain is weak, and a weak hadith is not permissible to act upon in rulings, then the matter remains blocked in solution except through the path of "Fear Allah as much as you can." Your duty is to join the row, not that the one in front of you delays for you. This is not his duty, and this is not recommended at all. Therefore, as long as the principle is known in all obligations, indeed in the pillars, "Fear Allah as much as you can," the matter is ended. I mean, I give you an example now: A man entered the mosque and he sees the obligation of reciting al-Fatihah, and he sees that one who catches the ruku' does not catch the rak'ah, and he knows that the imam is a good man who responds to the worshippers. He said to him, "O so-and-so, lengthen it a little."
The students laugh, and likewiseThe Shaykh : —

The Shaykh : So that I can read al-Fatihah before he bows. Yes, he did not lengthen it; because it is not obligatory for him to lengthen it for his sake. I mean, would this imam be in violation? No, he is not in violation; because it is not obligatory for him to listen to this entrant. I think you got the answer, if Allah wills. Glory be to You, O Allah, and with Your praise, I testify that there is no god but You, I seek Your forgiveness and I repent to You.