What is the evidence of those who said that it is permissible to straighten the rows with lines and to take them as a barrier, and what is the refutation of them?

The questioner : ... We see some people placing a line ... and some of them taking the string as a barrier. On what do they rely?

The Shaykh : ... This ... is the problem today!
Another questioner: ...

The Shaykh : No, in reality, they think that this string teaches them to straighten the rows, but on the contrary, it habituates them to the idea that they do not pray except on the string. And in the wilderness, if they want to pray, in 'Arafah and in Mina and so on, and that day when they asked for rain in what ... .
Another questioner: ...

The Shaykh : Yes, it is a very sad and shameful thing. The row is like this and like this, why? ... They need a string ... ! So I believe that the string should be a matter agreed upon by the later jurists, whether one of them believes like us in his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) or does not believe and says that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said , and this hadith has no basis in this wording. It does not concern us now to delve into this area, but rather it is a reference. So I say, whether one believes that every religious innovation is misguidance or believes that religious innovation is divided into five categories, the stretching of the string in mosques today should be agreed upon by the jurists as a misguiding religious innovation. Why? Because those who divided religious innovation into five categories, as transmitted from al-'Izz ibn 'Abd al-Salam and followed by Imam al-Nawawi and others of the later scholars, said that the forbidden religious innovation is that which contradicts the Sunnah. So the fact that this string contradicts the Sunnah is undoubtedly a matter agreed upon if we look at the reality of Muslims today, because you see that despite the stretching of the string in some mosques, you still find negligence in what the poor trampled-upon string requires in terms of what? Organization. So what do you think if they left it without a string? The reason is that the imams of the mosques do not follow the Sunnah. It is established in many authentic hadiths from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he did not say the takbir in prayer except after straightening the rows as straight as arrows. He would say to this one, "Move back," and to that one, "Move forward," and so on, and he would command them and emphasize the command. To straighten your rows with a string? No, by responding. There are no strings and no these carpets, meaning at the simplest thing one can imagine. The important thing is . It is sad, and very sad, in the holiest of Allah's lands, that the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah was left. There you do not find anyone but the one who says, "Straighten" or "Align" ... and the mosques are full. In the time of 'Uthman ibn 'Affan, he assigned a man who would pass by the rows to straighten them and then return and say to him, "The rows are straight," so that he could say Allahu Akbar. Now there are many jobs, and there is something necessary and something not necessary. But the job that 'Uthman ibn 'Affan established due to the crowding, as he established the second adhan, then they changed and altered everything and left this Sunnah. If they had been content with the Sunnah of the Messenger, which was sufficient in his time, of emphasizing the straightening of the rows with various expressions leading to straightening, . This is what he (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say. All these things were abolished, and the imams rested and stretched the string!
Another questioner: Our Shaykh ... Professor Ahmad says, "We have only known stones ... because the men ... Did Shaykh Ahmad understand at the beginning of your question whether the string is taken as a barrier? ... We benefited from your answer ... .

The Shaykh : This is correct. You are reminding me, may Allah reward you with good. This is a pertinent question, for there is a hadith in Sunan Abu Dawud in which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered that a stick be used, and if none is found, then a thread. However, the hadith of the thread is, in reality, that thread, meaning it is not valid from a legal standpoint. Although it is narrated in Sunan Abu Dawud, its chain contains obscurity and disruption, as I recall. This confirms its weakness in terms of its text, because the previous hadith, , is weak in terms of its chain. This invalidates the hadith of the thread.

The questioner : ... the stick.

The Shaykh : Yes, it is better than the back of the saddle ... like the back of the saddle.