What is the ruling on the prayer of a person praying alone behind the row?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : May Allah reward you and raise your status. Shaykh, may Allah reward you: Is the prayer of a person praying alone behind the row permissible if there is a gap on the right or on the left, or if there are two people? Explain this issue to us. May Allah raise your status and reward you.
The Shaykh : This issue has three opinions among the scholars. The first opinion is that his prayer is deficient but not invalid, whether the row is complete or not. This is the position of the three Imams: Malik, al-Shafi'i, and Abu Hanifah, and a narration from Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Did you understand? They interpret his saying:Bulugh al-Maram 2:327 to mean: there is no complete prayer, just as in his saying: Riyad as-Salihin 1753.
The second opinion is that the prayer of a person praying alone behind the row is not valid in any case, whether the row in front of him is complete or not. This is the well-known view among the followers of Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on them).
The third opinion is the middle one, which states: If the rows are complete, he may pray alone behind the row; otherwise, he may not. They cite as evidence for this the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to a man he saw praying alone behind the row, where he ordered him to repeat the prayer. And regarding his excuse—if the row is complete—they say: Allah the Exalted said in the Noble Book:[At-Taghabun 64:16] And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) validated the prayer of a woman behind the row because she has no place in the row by Shari'ah. The one who finds the row complete has no place in the row in reality and fact. Physical impossibility is like Shari'ah impossibility. And this which I mentioned last is the correct one, and it is the choice of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and the choice of our Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Sa'di (may Allah have mercy on him). Did you understand? Some people say: he should pull a person from the row to be with him. This is wrong, because this is a harm to the one praying in the row and a cause for the row to be broken. And whoever breaks a row, Allah breaks him. It is also a cause of confusion for the one who is pulled, did you understand? And it is a cause of movement for the entire row, because the row will move for some of them to come closer to others. So it involves harms. And some said: he should move forward to be with the Imam. This is wrong, because the Shari'ah wants the Imam to be alone, with no one with him, so that the observer does not think that this group has two Imams.
Then, if we say: he moves forward with the Imam, if there are rows between him and the Imam, that leads to stepping over necks. Then, if he moves forward with the Imam and another person comes and does not find a place, we say: move forward, perhaps the row with the Imam will be completed. But if this one remains praying alone behind the row and another person comes, they become a row. In any case, the stronger opinion, without doubt, is that if the row is complete, he should pray alone with the congregation. Yes.
The Shaykh : This issue has three opinions among the scholars. The first opinion is that his prayer is deficient but not invalid, whether the row is complete or not. This is the position of the three Imams: Malik, al-Shafi'i, and Abu Hanifah, and a narration from Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Did you understand? They interpret his saying:
The prayer of a person who prays alone behind the row is not accepted.
لا صلاة لمنفرد خلف الصفNo Salat (prayer) should be performed when the food has been served
لا صلاة بحضرة طعامThe second opinion is that the prayer of a person praying alone behind the row is not valid in any case, whether the row in front of him is complete or not. This is the well-known view among the followers of Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on them).
The third opinion is the middle one, which states: If the rows are complete, he may pray alone behind the row; otherwise, he may not. They cite as evidence for this the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to a man he saw praying alone behind the row, where he ordered him to repeat the prayer. And regarding his excuse—if the row is complete—they say: Allah the Exalted said in the Noble Book:
So fear Allah as much as you are able
فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْThen, if we say: he moves forward with the Imam, if there are rows between him and the Imam, that leads to stepping over necks. Then, if he moves forward with the Imam and another person comes and does not find a place, we say: move forward, perhaps the row with the Imam will be completed. But if this one remains praying alone behind the row and another person comes, they become a row. In any case, the stronger opinion, without doubt, is that if the row is complete, he should pray alone with the congregation. Yes.