excerpt from “Ṣaff Bandi ke Aḥkām wa Masā’il” by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Ameenpuri:
Maintaining a four-finger gap between the feet during qiyām (the standing posture in prayer) is a bidʿah (innovation).
There is no evidence for this practice in the Sharīʿah of Islam.
One can only truly follow the teachings of the Prophet ﷺ and the understanding and practice of the noble Companions if each worshipper in the row stands:
❖ With feet aligned shoulder-width apart,
❖ Such that the feet can touch those of the adjacent person on either side.
However, if a person deliberately maintains only a four-finger gap between his feet, then:
❖ It becomes impossible to join feet with the person next to him,
❖ Which contradicts the prophetic guidance on aligning rows and standing close.
يسن تفريج القدمين في القيام قدر أربع أصابع
“It is Sunnah to keep a distance of four fingers between the feet during qiyām (standing).”
[Marāqī al-Falāḥ, p. 262 | Radd al-Muḥtār: 1/444 | Fatāwā ʿĀlamgīriyyah: 1/73 | Nūr al-Īḍāḥ, p. 56 | Tabyīn al-Ḥaqā’iq: 1/114 | Imdād al-Aḥkām: 1/466]
The claim that men and women should maintain a four-finger gap between their feet during qiyām is baseless.
This opinion:
Contradicts the authentic aḥādīth of the Prophet ﷺ,
Opposes the unanimous practice of the Companions,
Goes against the understanding of the pious predecessors (Salaf).
Is a Four-Finger Gap Between the Feet in Qiyām (Standing) Sunnah?
Maintaining a four-finger gap between the feet during qiyām (the standing posture in prayer) is a bidʿah (innovation).
There is no evidence for this practice in the Sharīʿah of Islam.
The Sharīʿah emphasizes the straightening of rows.
One can only truly follow the teachings of the Prophet ﷺ and the understanding and practice of the noble Companions if each worshipper in the row stands:
❖ With feet aligned shoulder-width apart,
❖ Such that the feet can touch those of the adjacent person on either side.
However, if a person deliberately maintains only a four-finger gap between his feet, then:
❖ It becomes impossible to join feet with the person next to him,
❖ Which contradicts the prophetic guidance on aligning rows and standing close.
❖ However, it is mentioned in some authoritative Ḥanafī fiqh books:
يسن تفريج القدمين في القيام قدر أربع أصابع
“It is Sunnah to keep a distance of four fingers between the feet during qiyām (standing).”
[Marāqī al-Falāḥ, p. 262 | Radd al-Muḥtār: 1/444 | Fatāwā ʿĀlamgīriyyah: 1/73 | Nūr al-Īḍāḥ, p. 56 | Tabyīn al-Ḥaqā’iq: 1/114 | Imdād al-Aḥkām: 1/466]Conclusion:
The claim that men and women should maintain a four-finger gap between their feet during qiyām is baseless.
This opinion:
Contradicts the authentic aḥādīth of the Prophet ﷺ, Opposes the unanimous practice of the Companions, Goes against the understanding of the pious predecessors (Salaf).