Some imams say when straightening the rows, “Pray the prayer of those who are about to depart.” Is this prescribed?
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The questioner : Some imams say, “Pray the prayer of those who are about to depart”?
The Shaykh : This is an innovation. I mean, some people say that when the imam says, “Straighten up and stand in orderly rows,” they add, “And pray the prayer of those who are about to depart.” Whoever says this, you are giving a greater sermon than the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Yes, this is an act of excessive strictness. Some people also say, “Straighten up, stand in orderly rows, and close your gaps,” because the gaps became numerous in some mosques and started to occupy the worshippers, so this phrase was attached to the command to straighten up. If this is done for a temporary reason and is removed, there is no harm. But I fear that if people continue with it for a long time, the young ones will think it is part of the Sunnah and say, for example, “Close your gaps,” even if they do not have a single gap. The best thing in such matters is for a person to seek the Sunnah, neither adding to it nor subtracting from it.
The Shaykh : This is an innovation. I mean, some people say that when the imam says, “Straighten up and stand in orderly rows,” they add, “And pray the prayer of those who are about to depart.” Whoever says this, you are giving a greater sermon than the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Yes, this is an act of excessive strictness. Some people also say, “Straighten up, stand in orderly rows, and close your gaps,” because the gaps became numerous in some mosques and started to occupy the worshippers, so this phrase was attached to the command to straighten up. If this is done for a temporary reason and is removed, there is no harm. But I fear that if people continue with it for a long time, the young ones will think it is part of the Sunnah and say, for example, “Close your gaps,” even if they do not have a single gap. The best thing in such matters is for a person to seek the Sunnah, neither adding to it nor subtracting from it.