The rows

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said: "When there are three persons (for the prayer), one of them should step forward as imam and the other two should stand in a row behind him."
He also said: "Once I came (to join the prayer) and stood on his left, so he (took hold of me and) made me stand on his right."
This narration is sahih (authentic) and mawquf.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "The women of the Children of Israel used to pray with the men in the rows. Then they made wooden moulds (high-soled shoes) by which they would make themselves appear taller, so that one of them could look at a (man) she was acquainted with. So menstruation was imposed upon them (as a punishment), and they were moved back (from the prayer and the place of worship)." Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "So you too keep them back where Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has kept them back."
This narration is sahih as mawquf; its chain is strong, and Imam Ibn Abi Shaybah (5113) and Abd al-Razzaq (5114) also recorded it in their books.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Utbah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "I went in with Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) to offer the voluntary prayer of Zuhr, and he made me stand on his right. Then Yarfa' (the servant of Sayyiduna Umar, may Allah be pleased with him) came, so he and I both stood behind (Sayyiduna Umar, may Allah be pleased with him)."
This narration is sahih (authentic) and mawquf.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both) that "the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led him (that is, Sayyiduna Jabir) and Jabir (or, the narrator was unsure, Jabbar) bin Sakhr in prayer, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) made both of them stand behind him (in the prayer with him)."
The basis of this hadith is in Sahih Muslim, in a long hadith narrated through al-Walid bin Ubadah from Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him), though there its context differs from this (present) narration.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Keep your rows tightly joined and close together, for the devils slip in among you (into the empty spaces) as if they were awlad al-hadhaf (the young of small black sheep)."
Imam Abu Bakr and Imam Abu Ya'la narrated this hadith through the chain of Ibn Fudayl.

It is narrated from Sayyidah Fatimah bint Qays (may Allah be pleased with her) that she heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "The best, most virtuous and most rewarded of the men's rows is the first, and the lowest of their rows in reward and rank is the last; while the best and most favoured of the women's rows is the last, and the lowest of their rows in virtue and reward is the first."
Imam al-Harith narrated it in his Musnad. Although the narrators Khalil bin Zakariyya and Mujalid bin Sa'id in its chain are da'if (weak), the text of this hadith is sahih and established because it is narrated in Sahih Muslim (hadith: 440).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "Indeed, Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, and His angels send down their mercies and blessings upon the person who establishes the first row and keeps it straight."
[Musnad al-Harith (Zawa'id al-Haythami): 410. This narration states the extraordinary virtue of the first row; the salah from Allah means the sending down of mercy, while the salah from the angels means supplication for forgiveness and the raising of ranks. This meaning is also supported by other sahih marfu' narrations.]

It is narrated from Hujayrah bint Husayn (may Allah have mercy on her) that "the Mother of the Believers, Sayyidah Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her), led us in the Asr prayer, and she stood among us (that is, in the middle of the first row, instead of standing forward on the prayer spot like a male imam)."
The chain of this narration is hasan (good); Imam Musaddad narrated it in his Musnad and Imam Ibn Abi Shaybah in his al-Musannaf. This report is the evidence for the juristic ruling that when a woman leads a congregation of women, she stands in the middle of the women following her rather than stepping forward ahead of the row.

It is narrated from Suwayd bin Ghafalah (may Allah have mercy on him) that he said: "Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) used to level our shoulders in order to straighten and align the rows (of prayer), and he used to strike our feet (to make sure they were in line)."
And the hadith narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) will come, if Allah Almighty wills, in the chapter on ta'min (saying Amin).