Perfecting the rows: as important as perfecting the prayer

By Asma bint Shameem

Perfecting the rows when we stand for prayer in congregation is clearly a very important matter in Islaam. However, we don't pay much attention to it.

Many people think it is not an important matter.

So, insha Allaah the following points will shed some light on the virtue and importance of perfecting them.

🌷 1) Straightening the rows is an ORDER from Rasul Allaah (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam):

🍃 Anas ibn Maalik said that the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) said:

“Make your rows straight for I can see you behind my back.” (al-Bukhaari 686, Muslim 425)

And he said: “Make the rows straight and do not differ, lest your HEARTS DIFFER.”

(Saheeh Muslim 432)

🌷 2) Straightening the rows is part of perfecting the prayer:

🍃The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) said:

“Straighten your rows, for straightening the rows is PART of ESTABLISHING the prayer.”

(al-Bukhaari 723)

🌷 3) SEVERE WARNING for those who do NOT perfect the rows:

🍃 When the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) saw a man sticking out his chest he said,

“Make your rows straight OR Allaah will ALTER YOUR FACES.”

(al-Bukhaari 717)

🍃 Nu’maan ibn Basheer radhi Allaahu anhu said:

The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) used to straighten our rows, as if he was straightening the shaft of an arrow, until he saw that we had learned it.

Then he came out one day and was about to say the takbeer, when he noticed a man whose chest was sticking out from the row.

He said: “Slaves of Allaah! Make your rows straight or Allaah will cause DISCORD among you.”

(al-Bukhaari 717, Muslim 436)

🍃 Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said:

“The words “or Allaah will cause discord among you” … this is undoubtedly a WARNING to those who fail to straighten their rows. Hence some scholars are of the view that it is obligatory to make the rows straight.

If something is enjoined and a warning issued against doing the opposite, it cannot be said that it is ‘only a Sunnah'.

If the congregation does not straighten the rows, then they are SINNING. This is the apparent meaning of the words of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah.” (Al-Sharh al-Mumti’)🍃 When Anas ibn Maalik radhi Allaahu anhu came to Madeenah after the death of the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam), someone asked him:

"What do you find has changed in us since the time of the Messenger of Allaah (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam)? Anas radhi Allaahu anhu said:

“I do not find anything except that you do not straighten your rows." (al-Bukhaari 724)

🌷 4) Stand shoulder to shoulder, foot to foot with your neighbor:

Making the rows straight and compact is achieved by standing foot-to-foot and shoulder-to-shoulder.

Foot-to-foot does NOT mean “your own two feet next to each other” as some people misunderstand..

It means your LEFT foot next to the foot of your neighbor on your LEFT and your RIGHT foot NEXT to the foot of your neighbor on your RIGHT.

🍃 Nu’maan ibn Basheer radhi Allaahu anhu said:

“The Messenger of Allaah (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) turned to face the people and said,

‘Straighten your rows,’ THREE TIMES, ‘for by Allaah either you straighten your rows or Allaah will create division among your hearts.’ And I saw men standing shoulder to shoulder, knee to knee, ankle to ankle.”

(Abu Dawood 662; Saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 616)

🌷5. Do NOT leave GAPS

Another part of making the rows complete and perfect is not leaving any gaps in between.

🍃 The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) said:

“Straighten the rows, for you form rows like the angels, and keep your shoulders in line with one another, and FILL THE GAPS, and do not leave any room for the Shaytaan.

Whoever joins a row to complete it, Allaah will reward him and whoever breaks a row, Allaah will forsake him.”

(Abu Dawood 666, al-Nasaa’i 819; saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood 620)

🌷6) Align your heels:

🍃 Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said:

“Straightening the rows means that no one stands ahead of anyone else….(Align) the shoulders at the top of the body, and the heels at the bottom of the body.

As for the toes, they do not count, because toes vary; some people have long feet and some have short feet, so what matters is the HEEL.”

🌷7. Do NOT exaggerate in this matter and do NOT FIGHT over it:

a) Some people exaggerate in trying to follow this matter and spread their legs so far apart trying to touch their neighbor’s feet that they force their neighbor to actually end up standing with his feet close together in a very uncomfortable way and not be able to stand with his feet spread at a balanced distance.

The correct distance between one’s own two feet is the distance between one’s shoulders.

b) Also, making the rows compact does NOT mean crowding and cramming people in, because there is a DIFFERENCE between making the row “COMPACT” and making it “CROWDED”.

c) Feet to feet means to “gently” lay your foot next to your neighbor's foot.

It does NOT, let me repeat, IT DOES NOT mean to jam your foot against your neighbor's foot or push down, hurt, slam, squish or otherwise abuse your fellow Muslim praying next to you as some people, who take it to the extreme, do.

It also does NOT mean that you insist on putting your foot next to his if he does not want to or if he moves away.

Realize that you are disturbing and annoying your Muslim brother and distracting him from his Salaah when you do so.

Let this matter not to be a reason of division amongst you.

Deal with it with wisdom, gentleness and love.

At the end of the day, it's about bringing people closer to Allaah and salaah and NOT push them away.

🌷8) The BEST row for the men is the first row and for the women, the last is the best.

🍃 This is because the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa sallam) said:

“The best rows for men are the first rows and the worst are the last, and the best rows for women are the last rows and the worst are the first.” (Muslim 440) And he said: "Allaah and the angels send blessings on the front rows.” (al-Nasaa’i-- saheeh by al-Albaani)

However, if there is a PARTITION in between the men and women, then the FIRST row is BEST, even for the women. (Fatwa--Shaykh Ibn Baaz) 🌷9) Complete the FIRST row and then the next.

This is also part of straightening the rows. The second row should not be started until the first row is complete, and the third row should not begin until the second row, and so on.

🍃The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) urged completing the first row and said:

“If the people knew what there is in the call and the first row, but they had no way other than drawing lots, then they would draw lots.”

(al-Bukhaari 615 and Muslim 437) 🍃 And he (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) said:

“Complete the first row, then the next one, and if there is to be any incomplete row let it be the last row.”

(Ahmad, Abu Dawood- Saheeh by al-Albaani)

🌷10) The rows should start from BEHIND the imam; NOT from the extreme right:

🍃 The scholars of the Standing Committee said:

“The rows should start from behind the imam, not from the right hand side of the masjid or the left, as some people do.

Rather they should start from right behind the imaam, then the row should be completed to both the right and the left, so as to follow the Sunnah of having the imam in the middle.”

“The first row in prayer should begin behind the imaam, then stretch to the right and the left, not from the farthest point to the right . The same applies to the second and subsequent rows.”

(Al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah in Fataawa Islamiyyah)

🌷11) Make the rows close to one another and close to the Imaam:

The Sunnah is for the Imaam to be close to the people who are praying behind him, and the people should be close to the imam, and each row should be close to the other.

The definition of “close”, is that there should be enough room between them to do sajdah and a little more.

And Allaah knows best