Is it prescribed for the imam to equalize the row if one of its ends is longer?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : When the ma'mum (those praying behind the imam) line up for prayer, sometimes the side to the north is longer than the side to the right, or vice versa. Is it prescribed for the imam to direct them to adjust?
The Shaykh : Yes, that is right. That is, he asks: If the row to the imam's right is longer than the one to his left, or vice versa, is it prescribed for the imam to say to the extra people: "Come here"?
I say: Yes, because it is prescribed that the imam be in the middle. The evidence for this is that it is established in Sahih Muslim and other sources that when the ma'mum were three in the beginning, the imam would be in the middle of them. Then this was abrogated, and the three would stand with the imam in front of them. The indication is that they would not be to his right—meaning the two would not be to his right—nor to his left, but rather he would be between them. Also, he is the imam, and he is commanded to be just. It is not justice for one side to be far and the other close. Also, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not say, "Complete the right side, then the right side." If the right side were absolutely superior, he would have said, "Complete the right side, then the right side," just as he said regarding the first row: "Complete the first row, then the first row."
Also, the appearance of the people: Suppose, for example, that one person is behind the imam and all the rest are to the right, with nothing to the left. This appearance contradicts the idea that there is a true imam, because he is at the extreme. This is the issue.
The Shaykh : Yes, that is right. That is, he asks: If the row to the imam's right is longer than the one to his left, or vice versa, is it prescribed for the imam to say to the extra people: "Come here"?
I say: Yes, because it is prescribed that the imam be in the middle. The evidence for this is that it is established in Sahih Muslim and other sources that when the ma'mum were three in the beginning, the imam would be in the middle of them. Then this was abrogated, and the three would stand with the imam in front of them. The indication is that they would not be to his right—meaning the two would not be to his right—nor to his left, but rather he would be between them. Also, he is the imam, and he is commanded to be just. It is not justice for one side to be far and the other close. Also, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not say, "Complete the right side, then the right side." If the right side were absolutely superior, he would have said, "Complete the right side, then the right side," just as he said regarding the first row: "Complete the first row, then the first row."
Also, the appearance of the people: Suppose, for example, that one person is behind the imam and all the rest are to the right, with nothing to the left. This appearance contradicts the idea that there is a true imam, because he is at the extreme. This is the issue.