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PERFECTING THE ROWS

AS IMPORTANT AS PERFECTING THE PRAYER
By Asma bint Shameem

Perfecting the rows when we stand for prayer in congregation is very clearly an important matter
in Islam. However, we don’t pay much attention to it. Many people think it is not an important
matter. Even our elders who are otherwise trying to lead an Islamic life seem to overlook the
matter or disregard it as insignificant or tertiary.

They either stand with their feet close together in the form of Attention!, or leave huge gaps in
between themselves and their neighbor or the rows are crooked, etc.

So, Insha’Allah the following article will shed some light on the virtue and importance of
perfecting them.

1 : Straightening the rows is an ORDER from Rasul Allah (pbuh)

Anas ibn Maalik said that the Prophet (pbuh) said: “Make your rows straight for I can see you behind my
back.” (Bukhaari, Muslim)

2 : Straightening the rows is part of perfecting the prayer

The Prophet (pbuh) said: “Straighten your rows, for straightening the rows is part of perfecting prayer.”
(Bukhaari, Muslim)

“Straighten your rows, for straightening the rows is part of establishing prayer.”(Bukhari)

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

When the Prophet (pbuh) saw a man sticking out his chest he said, “Make your rows straight or Allah will
ALTER YOUR FACES..” (Bukhaari)
Numaan ibn Basheer said: The Prophet (pbuh) 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 Allah! Make your rows straight or Allah will cause discord among you.”
(Bukhaari, Muslim)
Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen said:
“The words “or Allah 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 Sunnah’.”

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 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 one on your right.

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Numaan ibn Basheer said:

“The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) turned to face the people and said, ‘Straighten your rows,’ three times, ‘for by
Allah either you straighten your rows or Allah will create division among your hearts.’ And I saw men standing
shoulder to shoulder, knee to knee, ankle to ankle.” (Abu Dawood--Sahih by al-Albaani)

5 : Align your heels

Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen said: “Straightening the rows means that no one stands in front 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.”

6 : Do NOT exaggerate in spreading your feet

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

7 : Do NOT leave gaps in between each other

Part of making the rows complete or perfect is making the rows compact.

The Prophet (pbuh) 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, Allah will take care of him and whoever interrupts a row, Allah will cut him off.”
(Ahmad, Abu Dawood--Saheeh by al-Albaani)

However, making the rows compact does NOT mean crowding and cramming people in,
because there is a difference between making it compact and making it crowded.

8 : Complete the first row and then the next

This is also part of straightening the rows. The second row should not be begun until the first
row is completed, and the third row should not be begun until the second row, etc.

The Prophet (pbuh) 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.”

And he (pbuh) 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)

9 : The rows should start from BEHIND the imam; NOT from the extreme right
“The rows should start from behind the imam, not from the right hand side of the mosque or the left, as some
people do. Rather they should start from behind the imam, 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.” (islam-qa.com)

“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-Daaimah in Fataawa Islamiyyah)

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However, when both sides are pretty equal, then the right side of the row is better, but NOT in
absolute terms: because if it were so, it would be better when only two people are praying with
the Imam, to stand on the right of the imam, but what is prescribed is that one should be on the
right and one on the left so that the imam is in the middle and there is no imbalance on one side.

And, of course the left side of a closer row is better than the right side of a more distant row.

10 : Make the rows close to one another and close to the Imaam
The Sunnah is for the imam 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 prostrate and a little more.

11 : Women’s row should be behind the men

This is because the Prophet (pbuh) 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.”

However, if there is a partition in between the men and women, then the first row for women
becomes the best. (Fatwa--Shaykh Ibn Baaz)

12 : Where to place the chair in the row if praying while sitting

If a person is going to pray on the chair from the beginning of the prayer until the end, then he
should place the chair where he will sit level with the row.

If he is going to pray standing, but he will sit on the chair when he bows and prostrates, Shaykh
Abd al-Rahmaan al-Barraak said, “What matters here is the standing position, so he should be
level with the row when standing.”

Based on this, the chair will be behind the row, so that when he stands he should be aligned with
the rest of the people. However, it should be placed in such a manner that it will not disturb
worshippers in the row behind.

Courtesy : LoveIslam group

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