What is your opinion regarding the breaking of the rows that occurs in al-Masjid al-Haram?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : What is your opinion regarding the breaking of the rows in the Makkah Haram and the Madinah Haram, where every group prays on its own behind the imam?
The Shaykh : Our view is that what is happening in al-Masjid al-Haram and al-Masjid al-Nabawi is not good, and it is more prevalent in al-Masjid al-Haram. This separation of people is contrary to the Sunnah, without a doubt. For this reason, the imams sometimes say, "Complete the first row, then the next." But people are far from this. You will find, for example, in al-Masjid al-Haram that the Tawaf area is sometimes empty, while everything behind it is full.
The questioner : Do they commit a sin, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : No. Completing the first row, then the next, is a recommended practice.
The Shaykh : Our view is that what is happening in al-Masjid al-Haram and al-Masjid al-Nabawi is not good, and it is more prevalent in al-Masjid al-Haram. This separation of people is contrary to the Sunnah, without a doubt. For this reason, the imams sometimes say, "Complete the first row, then the next." But people are far from this. You will find, for example, in al-Masjid al-Haram that the Tawaf area is sometimes empty, while everything behind it is full.
The questioner : Do they commit a sin, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : No. Completing the first row, then the next, is a recommended practice.