If two people pray in congregation and then a third person arrives, does the imam move forward or does the follower move back?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : This question has two parts. The first part is if one person is with the imam and then a second person arrives late, what should they do? Do they move the imam forward, or does the other man pull the first one back? That is the first part of the question.
The Shaykh : As for saying they should move the imam forward, the imam is the imam; he is not the one who is ordered to move, but rather the one who follows the imam is the one who is ordered to move. This is a comment on the phrase "move the imam forward." However, the answer is as it came in the hadith of Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him), where a man from his companions followed him and stood to his right (peace and blessings be upon him). Then another man came and stood to his left. So he aligned them behind him, making them a row behind him. Therefore, the single person stands to the right of the imam, aligned with him. If he lags behind the imam slightly, as some later jurists say, this lagging behind has no basis in the Sunnah in the first place, and secondly, it contradicts what came from 'Umar al-Faruq. What came in the hadith in al-Bukhari is that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) positioned Ibn 'Abbas opposite him in the night prayer, as it came in the hadith from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) with Ibn 'Abbas. And so it came from 'Umar with the one who also stood beside him.
The questioner : The hadith is that he lagged behind him slightly, a step, and he rebuked him. It seems it is mentioned in al-Bukhari.
The Shaykh : We do not know.
The questioner : I did not intend to stand opposite the Messenger of Allah.
The Shaykh : Which story is this? The story of Abu Bakr?
The questioner : No, it is the story of Ibn 'Abbas when he stood with him in the night prayer.
The Shaykh : Yes, it is possible. Yes, it is the story where he positioned him opposite him.
The questioner : Yes, but he lagged behind slightly, a step, and he said to him: Then he said: It was not my intention.
The Shaykh : But in the end, when he stood opposite him, that was Ibn 'Abbas's explanation, and this is part of his good manners. But the Sunnah is that he positioned him opposite him.
The questioner : Our Shaykh, it seems it is the chapter heading of Imam al-Bukhari for the hadith.
The Shaykh : Yes.
Another questioner : Chapter: A man stands opposite another man in prayer.
The Shaykh : And so it is.
Another questioner : The same
The Shaykh : Yes. What I want to say is that the single person stands to the right of the imam, opposite him. If another person comes and does not know the ruling by nature of the situation, and stands to the left of the imam, then the imam here follows the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and moves them both to behind him. But if the second person is a jurist and knows that the matter is for the two to stand in a row behind the imam, then he stands behind the imam and gently pulls the one who was to the right of the imam to join him. As for the imam, he maintains his position and is not ordered to move forward. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : And you as well.
The questioner : The second part of the question, you have answered it in the course of your speech, because we said the second part was if two people were praying and then two more came, making three, and one of them was their imam.
Some scholars mentioned this, and I read it recently. They are among the contemporary scholars, and they are those who are followed. They say he places one person to his right and the other to his left.
The Shaykh : This was the madhhab of Ibn Mas'ud. This was for a period of time. But the Sunnah on which the matter settled is what we mentioned, with the note that it is from the hadith of Jabir ibn 'Abd Allah al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with them both). Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : This question has two parts. The first part is if one person is with the imam and then a second person arrives late, what should they do? Do they move the imam forward, or does the other man pull the first one back? That is the first part of the question.
The Shaykh : As for saying they should move the imam forward, the imam is the imam; he is not the one who is ordered to move, but rather the one who follows the imam is the one who is ordered to move. This is a comment on the phrase "move the imam forward." However, the answer is as it came in the hadith of Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him), where a man from his companions followed him and stood to his right (peace and blessings be upon him). Then another man came and stood to his left. So he aligned them behind him, making them a row behind him. Therefore, the single person stands to the right of the imam, aligned with him. If he lags behind the imam slightly, as some later jurists say, this lagging behind has no basis in the Sunnah in the first place, and secondly, it contradicts what came from 'Umar al-Faruq. What came in the hadith in al-Bukhari is that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) positioned Ibn 'Abbas opposite him in the night prayer, as it came in the hadith from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) with Ibn 'Abbas. And so it came from 'Umar with the one who also stood beside him.
The questioner : The hadith is that he lagged behind him slightly, a step, and he rebuked him. It seems it is mentioned in al-Bukhari.
The Shaykh : We do not know.
The questioner : I did not intend to stand opposite the Messenger of Allah.
The Shaykh : Which story is this? The story of Abu Bakr?
The questioner : No, it is the story of Ibn 'Abbas when he stood with him in the night prayer.
The Shaykh : Yes, it is possible. Yes, it is the story where he positioned him opposite him.
The questioner : Yes, but he lagged behind slightly, a step, and he said to him:
Why should I place you opposite me?
مالي أجعلك في حذائيThe Shaykh : But in the end, when he stood opposite him, that was Ibn 'Abbas's explanation, and this is part of his good manners. But the Sunnah is that he positioned him opposite him.
The questioner : Our Shaykh, it seems it is the chapter heading of Imam al-Bukhari for the hadith.
The Shaykh : Yes.
Another questioner : Chapter: A man stands opposite another man in prayer.
The Shaykh : And so it is.
Another questioner : The same
The Shaykh : Yes. What I want to say is that the single person stands to the right of the imam, opposite him. If another person comes and does not know the ruling by nature of the situation, and stands to the left of the imam, then the imam here follows the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and moves them both to behind him. But if the second person is a jurist and knows that the matter is for the two to stand in a row behind the imam, then he stands behind the imam and gently pulls the one who was to the right of the imam to join him. As for the imam, he maintains his position and is not ordered to move forward. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : And you as well.
The questioner : The second part of the question, you have answered it in the course of your speech, because we said the second part was if two people were praying and then two more came, making three, and one of them was their imam.
Some scholars mentioned this, and I read it recently. They are among the contemporary scholars, and they are those who are followed. They say he places one person to his right and the other to his left.
The Shaykh : This was the madhhab of Ibn Mas'ud. This was for a period of time. But the Sunnah on which the matter settled is what we mentioned, with the note that it is from the hadith of Jabir ibn 'Abd Allah al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with them both). Yes.
Source
www.al-albany.com
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