Straightening the Rows in Salah: Obligations, Virtues, and Rulings

Source Information

This excerpt is taken from the book Ṣaḥīḥ Ṣalāh al-Nabawī ﷺ, authored by al-Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ʿAzīz, published by Maktabah Dār al-Andalus.

Straightening the Rows Is Obligatory​

❀ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

سووا صفوفكم فإن تسوية الصفوف من إقامة الصلاة
وفي رواية: من تمام الصلاة

“Straighten your rows, for straightening the rows is part of establishing the prayer.”
In another narration: “It is from the completion of the prayer.”

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitab al-Adhān, Bab Iqāmat al-Ṣaff min Tamām al-Ṣalāh: 723

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 433

❀ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

أقيموا الصفوف وحاذوا بين المناكب وسدوا الخلل ولينوا بأيدي إخوانكم ولا تذروا فرجات للشيطان

“Straighten the rows, align the shoulders, fill the gaps, be gentle with your brothers, and do not leave openings for Shayṭān.”

Reference: Abu Dāwūd, Kitab al-Ṣalāh, Bab Taswiyat al-Ṣufūf: 666

(Ṣaḥīḥ)

❀ Sayyidunā al-Barā’ bin ʿĀzib رضي الله عنه said:

“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would walk between the rows from one side to the other before the prayer, aligning our chests and shoulders with his hand.”

Reference: Abu Dāwūd, Kitab al-Ṣalāh, Bab Taswiyat al-Ṣufūf: 664

Reference: al-Nasā’ī: 812

(Ṣaḥīḥ)

❀ Sayyidunā ʿUmar bin al-Khaṭṭāb رضي الله عنه used to appoint men to straighten the rows, and he would not begin the prayer until he was informed that the rows had been properly aligned.

Reference: al-Tirmidhī, Kitab al-Ṣalāh, Bab mā jā’a fī Iqāmat al-Ṣufūf, Taʿlīqan baʿd al-Ḥadīth: 227

Virtue of Straightening the Rows​

❀ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

أقيموا الصف فى الصلاة فإن إقامة الصف من حسن الصلاة

“Straighten the rows in prayer, for straightening the rows is from the beauty of the prayer.”

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitab al-Adhān, Bab Iqāmat al-Ṣaff min Tamām al-Ṣalāh: 722

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 435

❀ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“Indeed Allah and His angels send blessings upon those who join the rows, and whoever fills a gap in the row, Allah raises his rank through it.”

Reference: Ibn Mājah, Kitab Iqāmat al-Ṣalāh, Bab Iqāmat al-Ṣufūf: 995

(Ṣaḥīḥ)

❀ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

من وصل صفا وصله الله ومن قطع صفا قطعه الله

“Whoever joins a row, Allah joins him (with His mercy), and whoever cuts a row, Allah cuts him off.”

Reference: Abu Dāwūd, Kitab al-Ṣalāh, Bab Taswiyat al-Ṣufūf: 666

Reference: al-Nasā’ī: 820

(Ṣaḥīḥ)

Punishment for Not Straightening the Rows​

❀ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

لتسووا صفوفكم أو ليخالفن الله بين وجوهكم

“You must straighten your rows, or Allah will create discord among your faces (i.e., among you).”

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitab al-Adhān, Bab Taswiyat al-Ṣufūf ʿinda al-Iqāmah wa Baʿdahā: 717

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 436

❀ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“Stand close together in your rows, bring them near, and align the necks. By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, I see Shayṭān entering the gaps in the rows like a young goat.”

Reference: Abu Dāwūd, Kitab al-Ṣalāh, Bab Taswiyat al-Ṣufūf: 667

Reference: al-Nasā’ī: 816

(Ṣaḥīḥ)

Method of Straightening the Rows​

❀ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“Complete the first row first, then the one behind it, and if there is any deficiency, it should be only in the last row.”

Reference: Abu Dāwūd, Kitab al-Ṣalāh, Bab Taswiyat al-Ṣufūf: 671

(Ṣaḥīḥ)

❀ Sayyidunā Nuʿmān bin Bashīr رضي الله عنه said:

“The Prophet ﷺ would straighten our rows as if straightening arrows.”

Reference: Abu Dāwūd, Kitab al-Ṣalāh, Bab Taswiyat al-Ṣufūf: 663

Reference: al-Nasā’ī: 811

Reference: al-Tirmidhī: 227

(Ṣaḥīḥ)

❀ Sayyidunā Anas bin Mālik رضي الله عنه said:

“When the Prophet ﷺ ordered us to straighten the rows, each of us would place his foot and shoulder against the foot and shoulder of the one next to him.”

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitab al-Adhān, Bab Ilzāq al-Mankib bi al-Mankib: 725

❀ Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh bin al-Zubayr رضي الله عنهما said:

“Keeping the feet straight and placing one hand upon the other is from the Sunnah.”

Reference: Abu Dāwūd, Kitab al-Ṣalāh, Bab Waḍʿ al-Yumnā ʿalā al-Yusrā fī al-Ṣalāh: 754

(Ḥasan)

All worshippers should align toward the imām, not away from him, and the row should not be started from the middle.

❀ Some people ask how much distance there should be between the feet. This question is unnecessary, because when shoulders and feet are aligned as mentioned in the aḥādīth, the feet naturally remain at an appropriate distance according to one’s body structure—neither too wide nor too narrow.

Virtue of the First Row​

❀ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“Indeed Allah and His angels send blessings upon those in the first row.”

Reference: al-Nasā’ī, Kitab al-Adhān, Bab Rafʿ al-Ṣawt bi al-Adhān: 647

Reference: Ibn Mājah: 997

(Ṣaḥīḥ)

❀ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“If people knew the virtue of the adhān and the first row, and they found no way to attain it except by drawing lots, they would surely draw lots.”

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitab al-Adhān, Bab al-Istihām fī al-Adhān: 615

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 437

❀ Sayyidunā ʿIrbāḍ bin Sāriyah رضي الله عنه said:

“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sought forgiveness three times for those in the first row and once for those in the second row.”

Reference: Ibn Mājah, Kitab Iqāmat al-Ṣalāh, Bab Faḍl al-Ṣaff al-Muqaddam: 996

(Ṣaḥīḥ)

Punishment for Deliberately Staying Behind the First Row​

❀ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

تقدموا فاتموا بي، وليأتم بكم من بعدكم، لا يزال قوم يتأخرون حتى يؤخرهم الله
وفي رواية: في النار

“Come forward and complete the first row near me, then those behind you should follow you. People will continue to stay back until Allah delays them (even from being taken out of the Fire).”

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitab al-Ṣalāh, Bab Taswiyat al-Ṣufūf: 438

Reference: Abu Dāwūd: 679

Congregation of Two People​

❀ If there are two people, the follower should stand level on the right side of the imām.
Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh bin ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما said:

فقمت عن يساره فجعلني عن يمينه

“I stood on the left of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, so he took me and placed me on his right.”

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitab al-Adhān, Bab Yaqūmu ʿan Yamīn al-Imām: 697

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 763

❀ The claim that the follower should stand slightly behind the imām in this case is incorrect and contradicts the authentic ḥadīth.

❀ If a third person joins, he should pull the follower back so that both stand behind the imām.
Sayyidunā Jābir bin ʿAbdullāh رضي الله عنهما narrated:

“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood for prayer. I came and stood on his left, so he took my hand and placed me on his right. Then Jabbār bin Ṣakhr came and stood on his left. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ took both of our hands and pushed us back behind him.”

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitab al-Zuhd, Bab Ḥadīth Jābir al-Ṭawīl: 3010

❀ If two people are praying behind the imām and one leaves due to an excuse, the remaining person should step forward to stand on the imām’s right.

❀ If there is no space behind and a third person joins, the imām may step forward.

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Khuzaymah: 1536, 1674

Arrangement of the Rows​

❀ Men should stand directly behind the imām.

❀ Those most knowledgeable and wise in religious matters should stand closest to the imām.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

وليلني منكم أولو الأحلام والنهى، ثم الذين يلونهم، ثم الذين يلونهم

“Let those who are most intelligent and understanding stand closest to me, then those after them, then those after them.”

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitab al-Ṣalāh, Bab Taswiyat al-Ṣufūf: 432

Row of Children​

❀ The row of children is after the row of men.
Sayyidunā Abū Mālik al-Ashʿarī رضي الله عنه said: The Prophet ﷺ formed a row of men, then a row of children behind them, and led them in prayer.

Reference: Abu Dāwūd, Kitab al-Ṣalāh, Bab Maqām al-Ṣibyān min al-Ṣaff: 677

(Ḥasan)

❀ However, if children stand with men, it is also permissible, as established in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (697) and the narration of Anas رضي الله عنه, where he and an orphan boy stood behind the Prophet ﷺ, while Umm Sulaym رضي الله عنها stood alone behind them.

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitab al-Adhān, Bab al-Mar’ah Waḥdah Takūnu Ṣaffan: 727

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 658

Row of Women​

❀ If there is no separate arrangement, women’s rows should be behind men and children.

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitab al-Fitan, Bab Qiṣṣat al-Jassāsah: 2942

❀ Even if there is only one woman, she should stand alone behind the men and not alongside any man.

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitab al-Masājid, Bab Jawāz al-Jamāʿah: 660

❀ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“The best rows for men are the first, and the worst are the last; and the worst rows for women are the first, and the best are the last.”

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitab al-Ṣalāh, Bab Taswiyat al-Ṣufūf: 440

Standing Ahead of the Imām​

❀ Followers must stand behind the imām; standing ahead of him is not permissible. If there is only one follower, he stands to the imām’s right.

Rows Between Pillars​

❀ One should avoid forming rows between pillars where the row is broken.
ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd bin Maḥmūd said: I prayed Jumuʿah with Anas bin Mālik رضي الله عنه. We were pushed toward the pillars and had to move back and forth. Anas رضي الله عنه said: “During the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, we used to avoid this.”

Reference: Abu Dāwūd, Kitab al-Ṣalāh, Bab al-Ṣufūf Bayna al-Sawārī: 673

Reference: al-Tirmidhī: 229

Reference: al-Nasā’ī: 822

(Ṣaḥīḥ)

Praying Alone Behind a Row​

❀ If a person prays alone behind a row despite there being space in the front row, his prayer is invalid.
Sayyidunā Wābiṣah bin Maʿbad رضي الله عنه said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ saw a man praying alone behind a row and ordered him to repeat the prayer.

Reference: Abu Dāwūd, Kitab al-Ṣalāh, Bab al-Rajul Yuṣallī Waḥdah Khalfa al-Ṣaff: 682

Reference: al-Tirmidhī: 230

Reference: Ibn Mājah: 1004

(Ṣaḥīḥ)

❀ Pulling someone from the front row, standing beside the imām, or remaining alone behind the row despite available space—all are incorrect practices with no authentic evidence. Narrations permitting pulling someone back are extremely weak.

Reference: al-Talkhīṣ al-Ḥabīr: 2/37, Ḥadīth: 583

Reference: al-Silsilah al-Ḍaʿīfah: 921

❀ If no space is available in the front row and one prays alone behind due to necessity, the prayer is valid and does not need to be repeated, inshā’Allāh.

Reference: Aḥkām wa Masā’il by Mubashshir Aḥmad Rabbānī: 207–208

❀ A lone woman forms her own row, and her prayer is valid, as in the narration of Anas رضي الله عنه where Umm Sulaym رضي الله عنها prayed alone behind.

Barrier Between Imām and Followers​

❀ There is no harm if a barrier exists between the imām and followers, provided the imām’s voice reaches them.
Sayyidah ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed at night in his room, and its wall was low, so people saw him and began praying behind him.

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitab al-Adhān, Bab Idhā Kāna Bayna al-Imām wa Bayna al-Qawm Ḥā’iṭ wa Sutrah: 729–730

❀ Therefore, if the imām is in one room and the followers are in another, the prayer is valid.

Claims that the imām must stand physically among the followers, or that prayer is invalid if the imām stands in the miḥrāb while followers are in the hall, have no basis in ḥadīth and contradict authentic evidence.

❀ If there is a need, the imām may stand at an elevated place.
Abū Ḥāzim رحمه الله said that Sahl bin Saʿd رضي الله عنه explained that the Prophet ﷺ stood on the minbar and prayed while the people prayed behind him.

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitab al-Ṣalāh, Bab al-Ṣalāh fī al-Suṭūḥ wa al-Minbar wa al-Khashab: 377

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 544

❀ Imām Aḥmad رحمه الله held that there is no harm in the imām standing at a higher place than the followers. The narration prohibiting this reported by Abu Dāwūd (597) has been declared weak by Shaykh Zubayr ʿAlī Za’ī رحمه الله due to tadlīs of al-Aʿmash.