Ruling on Reserving a Place in the First Row

Question:
After the 'Asr prayer, people come and reserve places in the Grand Mosque for the lecture, then they go to the market, outside the mosque, before the Maghrib adhan. They return to their reserved places. Is this action valid on their part?

Answer:
This action is not permissible. Reserving a place in the first row while one goes away, no, this is not permissible. The first row is for the one who advances himself, not for the one who advances his sandals, or his stick, or a package, or such and such. No, it is obligatory that he advance himself and sit there. If he advances with his stick, which he comes to remove and sits in its place, he has no right to advance with anything other than his body. The race is by the body; he advances and sits in the row, and he glorifies Allah, and remembers Him, or he reads the Qur'an and waits for the prayer. As for placing something and going to the market, and when the adhan comes he comes, this is reprehensible and not permissible.
So it is obligatory for the Muslim to leave that, and to leave the first row for the one who advances himself to sit in the row and wait for the prayer, and not to advance with merely a stick, or other things that he places in his place—may Allah guide everyone.

Question: And if he goes for wudu'?

Answer: This opens a door. He goes to perform wudu', and when he returns, praise be to Allah, he sits in the second place; because this opens a door. Everyone would make an excuse with this: the excuse is that I went to perform wudu', and I went to do such and such. Praise be to Allah, it is on his good intention, and praise be to Allah. Otherwise, he is more entitled to it if he stands to perform wudu' and does not sit, but something unexpected happens to him. As for coming when he is not in a state of wudu', and placing [something], and going to perform wudu', no, he should perform wudu' before he comes.
As for if he is sitting, but something unexpected happens to him, and he goes to perform wudu'; then he is more entitled to his place. If he stands from his place, then returns to it; then he is more entitled to it. But some people may do this when he did not come in a state of wudu'; rather, he came intending to place this stick and go. This is not acceptable.

Question: If he is sitting in the mosque, and he advances, or retreats while reserving a place?

Answer: Why would he retreat from his place?

Question: He wants to remember [Allah], or such.

Answer: Leaving all of this is better; because it opens a door for others. If he leaves that, praise be to Allah. And even if he is at the end of the row, if he comes, it is better than placing [something]. Otherwise, he would not be reserving [a place]; because he is advancing. But his moving away from the row; may open a door for another. Everyone claims this claim, saying: I did not go, I did not go, I did not do it. The right and the wrong get mixed up, and the problem occurs, and this remains an innovation.

Question: If Allah decrees that wind, or a need, strikes him, and he goes, and returns to his place, is there no harm?

Answer: There is no objection, yes. If he sat first, he came in a state of purity, he intended to sit, but this unexpected thing happened to him. As for one who comes from his house, he has no intention except to go, meaning he did not perform wudu' and places this, and says: I will go to perform wudu'.