The ruling on pushing through the rows of worshippers to pray in the first row

Question:
A man arrives late to the prayer and wants to enter the first row, so he separates the people sitting in the first row to make space for him. Is this permissible for him?

Answer:
The prescribed practice is to stand where the rows end, without pushing people aside. If the first row is full, he stands in the second row; if the second row is full, he stands in the third, and so on. However, if he finds a gap that the people who left it have not filled, he may go to it. But if there is no gap and he pushes them, saying “make room,” that is not allowed. He should not push them aside. He should stand at the end of the row he finds, whether there are two, three, or four people there, depending on the situation. He should not push people aside, break the rows, or step over people’s necks, unless the first row is not complete and they have started the second row; in that case, he goes to the first row to complete it. Or if they left a gap and he goes to fill it, there is no harm in that, because they are the ones who fell short.

The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh.