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مسند الشهاب
Musnad Shihab
Hadiths 1201 to 1400
خَيْرُ صُفُوفِ الرِّجَالِ أَوَّلُهَا، وَشَرُّهَا آخِرُهَاThe best rows for men are the first, and the worst are the last
Hadith 1259
اُردوEn
1259 - وأنا أَبُو الْحَسَنِ، عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْجُدِّيُّ، نا أَبُو الْحَسَنِ، مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ زَكَرِيَّا النَّيْسَابُورِيُّ، نا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ شُعَيْبٍ النَّسَائِيُّ، أنا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، أنا جَرِيرٌ، عَنْ سُهَيْلٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «خَيْرُ صُفُوفِ الرِّجَالِ أَوَّلُهَا، وَشَرُّهَا آخِرُهَا، وَخَيْرُ صُفُوفِ النِّسَاءِ آخِرُهَا وَشَرُّهَا أَوَّلُهَا»
Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The best rows among the men are their first rows, and the worst are their last rows; and the best rows among the women are their last rows, and the worst are their first rows.”
Brief Explanation
Explanation:
Islam has strongly disapproved of the intermingling of men and women and has emphasized that both should remain distant from each other and observe veiling (purdah). The issue of the virtue and lack of virtue regarding the advancement and delay of rows, as mentioned in this hadith, is also in light of this background. This is because, during the Prophetic era, women used to come to Masjid al-Nabawi and perform congregational prayer, and their rows would be at the back of the men’s rows. There was no arrangement for a gallery or a separate section. Therefore, the first row of the men was declared the best, because it was the farthest from the women, and the last row of the women was declared the best, because it too was the farthest from the men.
Conversely, the last row of the men was close to the first row of the women, and the first row of the women was adjacent to the last row of the men, so these were declared less virtuous. Here, “good” (better) and “bad” (worse) refer to the abundance or scarcity of reward. Otherwise, there is no aspect of evil (harm) in any row of the worshippers; in every row there is only good. However, due to the aforementioned aspect, the first row of the men and the last row of the women are a cause of greater reward and merit. And in the last row of the men and the first row of the women, the reward is less. (Riyadh al-Salihin: 242)
Islam has strongly disapproved of the intermingling of men and women and has emphasized that both should remain distant from each other and observe veiling (purdah). The issue of the virtue and lack of virtue regarding the advancement and delay of rows, as mentioned in this hadith, is also in light of this background. This is because, during the Prophetic era, women used to come to Masjid al-Nabawi and perform congregational prayer, and their rows would be at the back of the men’s rows. There was no arrangement for a gallery or a separate section. Therefore, the first row of the men was declared the best, because it was the farthest from the women, and the last row of the women was declared the best, because it too was the farthest from the men.
Conversely, the last row of the men was close to the first row of the women, and the first row of the women was adjacent to the last row of the men, so these were declared less virtuous. Here, “good” (better) and “bad” (worse) refer to the abundance or scarcity of reward. Otherwise, there is no aspect of evil (harm) in any row of the worshippers; in every row there is only good. However, due to the aforementioned aspect, the first row of the men and the last row of the women are a cause of greater reward and merit. And in the last row of the men and the first row of the women, the reward is less. (Riyadh al-Salihin: 242)
