Excerpt from: "Ṣaff Bandi ke Aḥkām wa Masāʾil" by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
"Straighten your rows, for indeed Shayṭān enters them like goats or kids (baby goats)."
Al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr of Ṭabarānī: 9/275, Ḥadīth 9376 – Chain is authentic (ṣaḥīḥ)
He also said:
"I remember that the prayer was not initiated until the rows were completely aligned."
Musnad Aḥmad: 1/419 – Chain is ḥasan
Ḥāfiẓ Haythamī رحمه الله said:
"Its narrators are the narrators of Ṣaḥīḥ (al-Bukhārī)."
Majmaʿ al-Zawāʾid: 2/90
Ḥāfiẓ al-Suyūṭī رحمه الله declared the chain ṣaḥīḥ.
Al-Ḥāwī lil-Fatāwī: 1/53
"Straighten your rows."
Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: 1/351 – Chain is ṣaḥīḥ
"I was among those whom ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb رضي الله عنه would position in the front rows to straighten the rows."
Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: 1/351 – Chain is ṣaḥīḥ
"He would not start the prayer until the rows were straightened, and he had appointed men specifically for this task."
Juzʾ Abī al-Jahm: 21 – Chain is ṣaḥīḥ
"When he passed between the rows, he would say: ‘Straighten up.’ Then, when he saw no gaps, he would move forward and say the takbīr."
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 3700
"Straighten up and align your shoulders, for completing the row is part of completing the prayer."
Mālik ibn Abī ʿĀmir said:
"He would not begin the takbīr until those assigned to align the rows came to him."
Al-Muwaṭṭaʾ of Imām Mālik: 1/104; Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: 1/351 – Chain is ṣaḥīḥ
"Bilāl رضي الله عنه would straighten our shoulders and strike our feet to align the rows."
Musnad Musaddad as cited in al-Maṭālib al-ʿĀliyah by Ibn Ḥajar: 428 – Chain is ṣaḥīḥ
Completing and straightening the rows, filling gaps, and standing shoulder-to-shoulder are essential. Sadly, the Ummah is neglecting this obligation, which is a great tragedy.
Leaving gaps in rows is a reprehensible act, for which there is severe warning. It negates the virtue of congregational prayer. If rows are not connected and gaps remain, the people behind are as if praying alone, which invalidates the prayer.
The prayer of the one who stands alone behind a row is not accepted.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded such a person to repeat the prayer.
Suddī رحمه الله said in the tafsīr of the verse:
﴿وَإِنَّا لَنَحْنُ الصَّافُّونَ﴾
“And indeed, it is we who line up in rows.”
[Sūrat al-Ṣāffāt: 165]
He interpreted it as:
“(We form rows) for prayer.”
Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī: 23/135 – Chain is ḥasan
❖ Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه said:
"Straighten your rows, for indeed Shayṭān enters them like goats or kids (baby goats)."
Al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr of Ṭabarānī: 9/275, Ḥadīth 9376 – Chain is authentic (ṣaḥīḥ)He also said:
"I remember that the prayer was not initiated until the rows were completely aligned."
Musnad Aḥmad: 1/419 – Chain is ḥasan Ḥāfiẓ Haythamī رحمه الله said:"Its narrators are the narrators of Ṣaḥīḥ (al-Bukhārī)."
Majmaʿ al-Zawāʾid: 2/90 Ḥāfiẓ al-Suyūṭī رحمه الله declared the chain ṣaḥīḥ. Al-Ḥāwī lil-Fatāwī: 1/53❖ Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه used to say:
"Straighten your rows."
Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: 1/351 – Chain is ṣaḥīḥ❖ Abū ʿUthmān al-Nahdī رحمه الله narrated:
"I was among those whom ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb رضي الله عنه would position in the front rows to straighten the rows."
Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: 1/351 – Chain is ṣaḥīḥ❖ Regarding ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb رضي الله عنه:
"He would not start the prayer until the rows were straightened, and he had appointed men specifically for this task."
Juzʾ Abī al-Jahm: 21 – Chain is ṣaḥīḥ❖ ʿAmr ibn Maymūn said about ʿUmar رضي الله عنه:
"When he passed between the rows, he would say: ‘Straighten up.’ Then, when he saw no gaps, he would move forward and say the takbīr."
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 3700❖ Sayyidunā ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān رضي الله عنه said:
"Straighten up and align your shoulders, for completing the row is part of completing the prayer."
Mālik ibn Abī ʿĀmir said:
"He would not begin the takbīr until those assigned to align the rows came to him."
Al-Muwaṭṭaʾ of Imām Mālik: 1/104; Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: 1/351 – Chain is ṣaḥīḥ❖ Suwayd ibn Ghaflah رحمه الله said:
"Bilāl رضي الله عنه would straighten our shoulders and strike our feet to align the rows."
Musnad Musaddad as cited in al-Maṭālib al-ʿĀliyah by Ibn Ḥajar: 428 – Chain is ṣaḥīḥ⚠ Important Note for Readers:
Completing and straightening the rows, filling gaps, and standing shoulder-to-shoulder are essential. Sadly, the Ummah is neglecting this obligation, which is a great tragedy.
Leaving gaps in rows is a reprehensible act, for which there is severe warning. It negates the virtue of congregational prayer. If rows are not connected and gaps remain, the people behind are as if praying alone, which invalidates the prayer.
The prayer of the one who stands alone behind a row is not accepted.The Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded such a person to repeat the prayer.
Benefit:
Suddī رحمه الله said in the tafsīr of the verse:
﴿وَإِنَّا لَنَحْنُ الصَّافُّونَ﴾
“And indeed, it is we who line up in rows.”
[Sūrat al-Ṣāffāt: 165]He interpreted it as:
“(We form rows) for prayer.”
Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī: 23/135 – Chain is ḥasan