What is your opinion regarding those who reserve seats in lessons or in prayer?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you, O Shaykh: What do you say about those who reserve seats in lessons or in prayer, knowing that one of the students of knowledge, who is well-known, used to reserve a seat all the time, meaning he was always reserving it?
The Shaykh : Yes, I do.
The questioner : So what do you say, O Shaykh, about this?
The Shaykh : As for reserving seats in the mosque for prayer, the scholars differed on this, with two opinions: some permitted it, and some prohibited it.
The Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: It is forbidden, and that precedence is not established by what is placed in the row; precedence is established by the person's body.
Some of the scholars say: It is permissible to reserve, but when the iqamah is called, your right is nullified. And what appears: It is not permissible in prayer.
As for in the circles of knowledge, it is lighter. And so that it does not lead to the young ones who do not understand anything from the teacher advancing ahead of the older ones who understand and know, in any case, it is lighter than reserving in prayer.
The questioner : Okay, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : No, that is it, there is only one question.
The questioner : Clarification, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Hm?
The questioner : I say: If the young ones do not advance, they may not understand for their whole lives, meaning...
The Shaykh : No, they will understand for their whole lives, if Allah wills, they will advance in the sense that, because I do not think the reservation would be for the entire mosque for the students; perhaps they reserve one or two rows.
The questioner : Okay, regarding prayer, O Shaykh, should they be rebuked or should what they reserved be removed?
The Shaykh : No, it is not removed, because there is scholarly disagreement in this matter. And if there is disagreement and it is removed and it leads to conflict, its harm is greater than the reservation. And everything that leads to disagreement and conflict, avoid it. Disagreement is evil; there is no good in it.
The Shaykh : Yes, I do.
The questioner : So what do you say, O Shaykh, about this?
The Shaykh : As for reserving seats in the mosque for prayer, the scholars differed on this, with two opinions: some permitted it, and some prohibited it.
The Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: It is forbidden, and that precedence is not established by what is placed in the row; precedence is established by the person's body.
Some of the scholars say: It is permissible to reserve, but when the iqamah is called, your right is nullified. And what appears: It is not permissible in prayer.
As for in the circles of knowledge, it is lighter. And so that it does not lead to the young ones who do not understand anything from the teacher advancing ahead of the older ones who understand and know, in any case, it is lighter than reserving in prayer.
The questioner : Okay, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : No, that is it, there is only one question.
The questioner : Clarification, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Hm?
The questioner : I say: If the young ones do not advance, they may not understand for their whole lives, meaning...
The Shaykh : No, they will understand for their whole lives, if Allah wills, they will advance in the sense that, because I do not think the reservation would be for the entire mosque for the students; perhaps they reserve one or two rows.
The questioner : Okay, regarding prayer, O Shaykh, should they be rebuked or should what they reserved be removed?
The Shaykh : No, it is not removed, because there is scholarly disagreement in this matter. And if there is disagreement and it is removed and it leads to conflict, its harm is greater than the reservation. And everything that leads to disagreement and conflict, avoid it. Disagreement is evil; there is no good in it.