Is aligning the rows in prayer done by equalizing the feet at the toes or at the heels?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : The brothers instruct the worshippers to align their rows so that the line is at the heels, meaning from the back. Some of the brothers also instruct them to align from the front, so the row is straight with the line at the front. So the ruling is with a line or without a line; the equalization is either from the front or from the back.
The Shaykh : What do you mean by front and back?
The student : They make the line for equalizing the heels; they equalize the backs of the feet from the rear.
The Shaykh : Leave the line, my brother. We are obligated to the line. Leave the line. The line was placed there for organization. Organization may require making the line at the tips of the toes, and it may require it at the back of the foot. This is not the issue.
The student : If it is at the back of the foot, the heels are equal, but the feet are not equal from the front. My question here is: is aligning the rows from the front, equalizing the feet from the front, or equalizing the heels from the back?
The Shaykh : No, no, not from the back and not from the front. Stick the heel to the heel. Do you not know this?
The student : Yes, indeed. One leg is long and one is short, and so on. But the heel is defined.
The Shaykh : By Allah, today on Friday, the one before me, next to Abu Malik, a giant, immediately gave me the hint. The secret is that the Sunnah is to stick the heel to the heel, not the back of the heel as he asks, or the toes. And the way his foot is, by Allah’s will, it is almost twice the size of my foot.
The student : Glory be to Allah. By Allah, Shaykh, this is truly a eloquent point in this hadith.
The Shaykh : Yes, by Allah, by Allah, it did not occur to me until I saw this man.
The student : Allahu Akbar. Indeed, it is not just sticking the heel to the heel, but his foot is ahead of your foot.
The Shaykh: May Allah guide you.
The student : Because it is long.
The Shaykh: May Allah guide you.
The student : But the bodies, which are from him, the rows are aligned evenly.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The student : The body, the hand, it is the leg.
The Shaykh : What do you mean by front and back?
The student : They make the line for equalizing the heels; they equalize the backs of the feet from the rear.
The Shaykh : Leave the line, my brother. We are obligated to the line. Leave the line. The line was placed there for organization. Organization may require making the line at the tips of the toes, and it may require it at the back of the foot. This is not the issue.
The student : If it is at the back of the foot, the heels are equal, but the feet are not equal from the front. My question here is: is aligning the rows from the front, equalizing the feet from the front, or equalizing the heels from the back?
The Shaykh : No, no, not from the back and not from the front. Stick the heel to the heel. Do you not know this?
The student : Yes, indeed. One leg is long and one is short, and so on. But the heel is defined.
The Shaykh : By Allah, today on Friday, the one before me, next to Abu Malik, a giant, immediately gave me the hint. The secret is that the Sunnah is to stick the heel to the heel, not the back of the heel as he asks, or the toes. And the way his foot is, by Allah’s will, it is almost twice the size of my foot.
The student : Glory be to Allah. By Allah, Shaykh, this is truly a eloquent point in this hadith.
The Shaykh : Yes, by Allah, by Allah, it did not occur to me until I saw this man.
The student : Allahu Akbar. Indeed, it is not just sticking the heel to the heel, but his foot is ahead of your foot.
The Shaykh: May Allah guide you.
The student : Because it is long.
The Shaykh: May Allah guide you.
The student : But the bodies, which are from him, the rows are aligned evenly.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The student : The body, the hand, it is the leg.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.