Keeping the rows straight during prayer, reducing the gaps between the rows, aligning the shoulders, and joining ankle to ankle and foot to foot are obligatory. The Companions and the righteous early imams always acted upon these principles. The ahadith have stressed the rulings on forming rows with great emphasis. Some of those ahadith are as follows:
① Narration of Sayyiduna Jabir bin Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him):
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Why do you not form rows the way the angels form rows before their Lord?” We said: O Messenger of Allah, how do the angels form rows before their Lord? He ﷺ said: “They complete the first rows and stand close together, until there is no gap left between them.”
② Narration of Sayyiduna Abu Mas’ud Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him):
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would straighten our shoulders during prayer and say: “Be straight and do not be crooked, otherwise differences will arise in your hearts.” Abu Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Today you are suffering from severe differences due to negligence in straightening the rows.
③ Narration of Sayyiduna Bara’ bin Azib (may Allah be pleased with him):
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would walk between the rows, straightening our chests and shoulders, and say: “Do not be crooked, otherwise differences will arise in your hearts.”
④ Narration of Sayyiduna Nu’man bin Bashir (may Allah be pleased with him):
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would straighten our rows as arrows are straightened. When he ﷺ perceived that we had understood, he came one day for prayer and was about to say the takbir when he saw a man whose chest was outside the row. He ﷺ said: “O servants of Allah! Straighten your rows, otherwise Allah will put discord among your faces.”
⑤ Another narration from Sayyiduna Nu’man bin Bashir (may Allah be pleased with him):
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “You must certainly straighten your rows, otherwise Allah will put opposition among your faces.”
⑥ Narration of Sayyiduna Abu Musa al-Ash’ari (may Allah be pleased with him):
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “When you pray (in congregation), straighten your rows.”
⑦ Narration of Sayyiduna Bara’ bin Azib (may Allah be pleased with him):
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Join the rows well, so that small animals cannot pass between you.” He was asked what these small animals were. He ﷺ said: “They are the small black goat kids found in Yemen.”
⑧ Narration of Sayyiduna Nu’man bin Bashir (may Allah be pleased with him):
“When we stood up for prayer, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would straighten our rows. When we were straight, he ﷺ would say the takbir for prayer.”
⑨ Narration of Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him):
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Straighten the row in prayer, for straightening the row is part of the beauty of prayer.”
⑩ Narration of Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him):
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Straighten your rows, for the straightening of rows is part of the establishment of prayer.”
Making the rows even and straight is an essential part of the correctness of prayer, and crooked rows cause a defect in prayer.
⑪ Narration of Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him):
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Straighten the rows well in prayer.”
Imam Ibn Hibban declared this hadith “Sahih”.
⑫ Narration of Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him):
Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that after the iqamah for prayer was given, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ turned his radiant face toward us and said: “Straighten your rows and stand close together. I see you from behind as well.”
In another narration the words are: “Straighten your rows, for I see you from behind as well.” Then each of us would join his shoulder to his companion’s shoulder and his foot to his companion’s foot.
The practice of those who join only the fingers:
As for those who join only their fingers, is their practice in accordance with the hadith or contrary to it? Regarding this, Allamah Ubaidullah bin Abdus Salam Mubarakpuri (may Allah have mercy on him) (d. 1414 AH) says: “These ahadith clearly show that straightening the rows means the worshippers standing in a straight line, filling the empty spaces of the row by joining shoulder to shoulder and foot to foot. The Companions acted upon this practice during the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, but later people began to be negligent in it.”
The position of the Deobandi scholar Kashmiri:
Mr. Anwar Shah Kashmiri Deobandi says:
According to the four jurists (Fuqaha-e-Arba’a), joining shoulder to shoulder means that there should not be enough space between two worshippers for a third person to come in between them.
Among the pious predecessors (salaf salihin), there was no one who kept more distance between his feet in congregational prayer than in individual prayer.
The Ahl-e-Hadith have only the word “al-Ilzaq”, which they use to mean joining shoulders and feet.
Joining shoulder to shoulder in its literal sense is a difficult task, and it is only an innovation of the non-Muqallids (Ghair Muqallids).
Refutation of Kashmiri Sahib’s position:
Allama Ubaidullah ibn Abdus Salam Mubarakpuri, may Allah have mercy on him, refuting the position of Kashmiri Sahib, writes: “There is no evidence for taking al-Ilzaq in a figurative sense. It is clear that during the era of the Companions, straightening the rows and filling the empty spaces was common. The authentic hadiths mention standing with shoulder touching shoulder and foot touching foot in a literal sense.”
⑬ Narration of Sayyiduna Thawban, may Allah be pleased with him:
Sayyiduna Thawban, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Stay straight and draw close together.”
Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him (1037), has declared this hadith sahih.
⑭ Another narration of Sayyiduna Anas, may Allah be pleased with him:
Sayyiduna Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “Straighten the rows and join together. I see you from behind me.” Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “Each one of us would join his shoulder with his companion’s shoulder and his foot with his companion’s foot. If you did this today, people would shy away like stubborn mules.”
The practice of forming rows during the time of the Prophet ﷺ:
Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, writes: “This explanation shows that this practice of forming rows took place during the time of the Prophet ﷺ, and straightening the rows meant precisely that the worshippers stand with shoulder touching shoulder and foot touching foot.”
Emphasis on forming rows:
The author of al-Ta’liq al-Mughni says: “These hadiths make it clear that straightening the rows is an essential part of the prayer. Standing ahead of or behind one another in the row is not permissible. Every worshipper should join shoulder and foot literally with his companion. But today this Sunnah has been abandoned. If you act upon it today, people will shy away like wild donkeys.”
Observation of Sayyiduna Anas, may Allah be pleased with him:
Sayyiduna Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates: “When he came to Madinah, he was asked: What change have you seen since the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ until today? He said: I have seen only a decline in the attention paid to forming rows.”
Imam al-Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him (194-256 AH), set a chapter heading on this hadith: “Chapter: On the sin of those who do not complete the rows.”
Commentary:
Allama Abdul Rahman Mubarakpuri, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 1353 AH), commenting on the statement of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, wrote: “In today’s era, this is the condition of most people. If the rows are formed properly with them, they will run away like wild donkeys. They consider this Sunnah an innovation; may Allah grant them the sweetness of the Sunnah.”
The condition of the Sunnah of forming rows:
In the mosques of the people of innovation and of bigotry, the Sunnah of forming rows is not observed. People stand in the rows far apart from one another, leaving a gap. If someone tries to join foot to foot, the others move away. By opposing the Sunnah, these people are harming the unity of the Ummah and abandoning the Sunnahs one after another.
Supplication:
May Allah guide these people and grant them the ability to act upon the authentically established hadiths and to avoid interpretation and distortion.
⑮ Narration of Sayyiduna Nu’man ibn Bashir, may Allah be pleased with him:
Sayyiduna Nu’man ibn Bashir, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ turned his blessed face towards us and said: Straighten your rows. He repeated this three times, then said: You must certainly straighten your rows, or else Allah will create discord among your hearts.” Nu’man, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “I saw that (after this statement) a man would stand joining his shoulder to his companion’s shoulder, his knee to his knee, and his ankle to his ankle.”
Authenticity of the hadith:
This hadith has been declared “sahih” by Imam Ibn Khuzaymah (160) and Imam Ibn Hibban (2176). Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, has called it “hasan”, while Hafiz al-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, says: “This hadith has been narrated by Imam Abu Dawud and other imams with hasan chains.”
The rows of the Companions:
The rows of the Companions were in accordance with the command of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, which included standing fully joined together. This row formation is not seen among most people today. Today people stand in the rows at such distances that it seems that if they touch someone, they might become impure. This distance and deficiency in forming rows becomes a cause of disagreement and division. If we stand like the Companions, foot to foot, calf to calf and shoulder to shoulder, then acting upon this Sunnah will produce countless blessings and love.
The position of Allama al-Albani, may Allah have mercy on him:
Allama Nasir al-Din al-Albani, may Allah have mercy on him (1332-1420 AH), while mentioning the hadith of Anas and the hadith of Nu’man ibn Bashir, says: “Important benefits are derived from these hadiths:
Straightening and aligning the rows is obligatory, because the Prophet ﷺ has issued a command regarding it. In a command, the original ruling is obligation, unless there is evidence to the contrary. The indication present here further strengthens the obligation: the statement of the Prophet ﷺ: ‘Otherwise Allah will create discord among your hearts.’ Such a warning is only for matters that are obligatory.
The meaning of straightening the rows is that shoulder is joined to shoulder and foot to foot, as the Companions did in compliance with the command.”
Benefits of Forming Rows:
Shaykh al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) further says: ”It is regrettable that the Sunnah of straightening the rows has been abandoned by most Muslims, rather this Sunnah has been forgotten. I only saw this Sunnah among Ahl al-Hadith when I was in Makkah al-Mukarramah in 1368 AH. They were strictly acting upon the Sunnahs of the Prophet ﷺ. On the other hand, the followers of the four madhhabs, even the Hanbalis, have forgotten this Sunnah. For them, abandoning this Sunnah has become a habit.”
Emphasis of the Prophet ﷺ on Forming Rows:
Sayyidina Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ”Straighten your rows, align your shoulders, fill the gaps, be gentle with your brothers’ hands, and do not leave gaps for the Shaytan. Whoever joins a row, Allah will join him with His mercy, and whoever cuts a row, Allah will cut him off from His mercy.”
Imam Ibn Khuzaymah (may Allah have mercy on him) (1549) has declared this hadith ”sahih”, and Imam al-Hakim (may Allah have mercy on him) has declared it ”sahih” according to the condition of Imam Muslim. Hafiz al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) has agreed with him.
Explanation by Hafiz al-Suyuti (may Allah have mercy on him):
Hafiz al-Suyuti (may Allah have mercy on him) writes: ”The meaning of this hadith is that establishing the rows means to stand straight, and joining the rows means not to leave any gap.”
Important Instructions:
Imam Abu Dawud (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that the statement of the Prophet ﷺ: ”be gentle with your brothers’ hands,” means that when a person wishes to join the row, each person should soften his shoulders so that he can enter the row.
⑯ Narration of Sayyidina Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him):
Sayyidina Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ”When you stand for prayer, straighten your rows and fill the gaps.”
Imam Ibn Khuzaymah (may Allah have mercy on him) (1548) has declared this hadith ”sahih”, and Imam al-Hakim (may Allah have mercy on him) has declared it ”sahih according to the condition of Imam al-Bukhari and Muslim”.
View of the Saudi Scholar Shaykh Ibn Baz (may Allah have mercy on him):
Shaykh Abdul Aziz bin Baz (may Allah have mercy on him) (1330-1420 AH) says: ”Whoever sees negligence in forming rows should advise his brothers and order them to fill the empty spaces. It is the duty of the imams of the mosques to urge people in this matter so that the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ may be kept alive.”
Blessings of Forming Rows:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ”Indeed, those who join the rows, Allah has mercy upon them and the angels supplicate forgiveness for them.”
Besides this, the Prophet ﷺ made a supplication for those who join the rows: ”Whoever joins a row, Allah will join him (with His mercy).”
The Companions’ attention to forming rows after the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:
⑰ Sayyidina Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him):
Emphasis on straightening the rows: Sayyidina Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) says: “Straighten the rows, for the Shaytan enters among them like sheep or lambs.”
Completion of the rows of prayer: “I remember that the prayer would not be established until the rows were completed with us.”
Hafiz al-Haythami (may Allah have mercy on him) says: “The narrators of this narration are the narrators of Sahih al-Bukhari.”
Hafiz al-Suyuti (may Allah have mercy on him) has declared its chain ”sahih”.
Command to straighten the rows: “Straighten your rows.”
⑱ Sayyidina Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him):
Attention to straightening the rows: Abu Uthman al-Nahdi (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates: “I was among those whom Sayyidina Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) would make stand in front of him to straighten the rows.”
Straightening the rows before prayer: “He (may Allah be pleased with him) would not lead the people in prayer until their rows were straightened. For this task he had appointed several people.”
Emphasis on removing gaps in the rows: Amr bin Maymun narrates: “When he passed between the rows, he would say: Be straight. When he saw no gap in the rows, he would move forward and say the takbir.”
⑲ Sayyidina Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him):
“Straighten up, make your shoulders even, for straightening the row completes the prayer.”
Malik ibn Abi Amir narrates that “he would not say the takbir of opening (takbir tahrima) until those men came to him whom he had appointed to straighten the rows.”
⑳Sayyidina Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him):
Practical action for straightening the rows: the Tabi’i Suwayd ibn Ghaflah narrates: “Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) would make our shoulders even, and would strike our feet to straighten the row.”
The importance of forming rows and its benefits:
Completing the rows, straightening them, filling the gaps in the rows, and standing close together are among the etiquettes of prayer. The authentic hadiths emphasise forming rows strongly, yet in today’s age Muslims are neglecting this Sunnah. Leaving a gap in the row has been declared disliked, and a severe warning has come concerning it, because it removes the excellence of congregational prayer.
Standing alone behind the row: if people in a row do not stand joined to one another and there is a gap in the row, they come under the ruling of those who pray alone behind the row. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ ordered the one who prayed standing alone to repeat the prayer.
Benefit:
The renowned exegete Imam Isma’il ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Suddi (may Allah have mercy on him), in explaining the words of Allah the Exalted: {وَإِنَّا لَنَحْنُ الصَّافُّونَ} (al-Saffat: 165), says: “That is, we are those who form rows for prayer.”
These narrations and hadiths show how much importance the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) gave to forming rows. Straightening the rows in prayer and standing together is an important Sunnah; acting upon it creates mutual love and affection, while abandoning it creates discord and division. Muslims should recognise the importance of this Sunnah and, by straightening their rows, act upon the Sunnah of the Messenger.
Summary:
Straightening the rows during prayer and making the lines even is an important Sunnah, which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) emphasised greatly. Straightening the rows, filling the gaps in them, and standing with shoulder touching shoulder and foot touching foot is obligatory. In various hadiths the Prophet ﷺ clearly ordered that the rows be straightened, and warned that if the rows are not straightened, Allah will place discord in the hearts. The Companions adhered strictly to this Sunnah, to the extent that the prayer would not begin until the rows were complete and straight.
The Companions and the Rightly Guided Caliphs, such as Sayyidina Umar ibn al-Khattab, Sayyidina Uthman ibn Affan and Sayyidina Bilal (may Allah be pleased with them), took particular care over forming rows. Before prayer they would inspect the rows, have people made even in the rows, and appoint responsible persons to fill the gaps in the rows. This practice shows that the Companions regarded straightening the rows as necessary for the completion of the prayer and the unity of the congregation.
Today the practice of this Sunnah of forming rows is becoming less common among Muslims. People stand at a distance from one another in prayer, which gives Satan the opportunity to enter the rows and create discord. Because of the abandonment of this Sunnah, the excellence and blessings of prayer that come from straightening the rows are not obtained.
Allama al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) and other muhaddithun emphasised the importance of this Sunnah and explained that the command to straighten the rows is an obligatory act, and that a severe warning has come for abandoning it. They urged the Ummah to revive this Sunnah and act upon it, so that one may be safe from the warning of the Prophet ﷺ and obtain the blessings of prayer.
Conclusion:
Acting upon the Sunnah of forming rows is an important obligation, which strengthens the spirituality and collective nature of the prayer. Muslims should straighten their rows in prayer, fill the gaps in the rows, and stand shoulder to shoulder and foot to foot. This practice creates love and unity in hearts, while opposing the Sunnah creates enmity and distance in hearts. Following the Sunnah of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), we should take care over forming rows so that the true beauty of prayer and the excellence of congregation may be obtained.
