Can this hadith be used as evidence that favoring the right side in eating and other matters is superior in an absolute sense, even if the imam is on one's left?

The questioner : Can this hadith be used as evidence that the right row is superior in an absolute sense? The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stated that the right side is preferred. Is the right side superior even if, for example, the rows are not equal? How do we answer this?

The Shaykh : Yes, we answer this from several angles. The first angle is that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) encouraged drawing close to the imam. Second, he said: Thus, he encouraged being adjacent to the imam, meaning that a person should be next to the imam. Third, when the Muslims were three and formed a single row, it was prescribed for them to place one person on the right and the second on the left. If the right side were superior in an absolute sense, both men would have been on the right. The meaning is that we prefer the right over the left in cases of equality or proximity. However, in cases of clear disparity, where the imam is like an imam for the people on the left only, after the people on the right are away from him, I do not think this would occur among the Companions.