Aligning the Rows during Solat

Aligning the Rows during Solat


Dr.Hatem al-Hajj

Question: I recently moved to a new town and at the masjid when we line up for Solat some of the people do not like to touch the feet together, just the shoulders. Is it obligatory to touch feet and shoulders? If so, what is the proof for this so that I can share itr with them? Jazakum Allahu khayran.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful;
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

It is an obligatory to straighten their row and to close the gaps between them in solah, which is done by standing shoulder-to-shoulder and foot-to-foot. The Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) placed great emphasis on straightening the rows during congregational solat and stated many hadiths concerning this issue.

'Abdullah Ibn `Umar (radiallahu’anhu) reported that the Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said:

"Straighten your rows, bring in line your shoulders, fill in the gaps, co-operate with your brothers and do not leave empty spaces for the devils. Whoever fills in the gap Allah will shower His mercy on him and whoever leaves a space in the row Allah will deprive him of His mercy."

[Abu Dawud]

Al-Bara' Ibn `Azib (radiallahu’anhu) reported, who said:

"The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would walk within the rows, from one side to another, straightening them. He would pass his hands over our chests and shoulders, and say, "Do not disperse; otherwise your hearts will become disunited." He would also say, "Allah the Almighty sends blessings upon those who stand in the first row and the angels seek forgiveness on their behalf."

[Abu Dawud]

Anas Ibn Malik (radiallahu’anhu) reported that the Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said:

"Pull your rows together, keep them close and keep your necks in line, for by He in whose hands rests the soul of Muhammad, indeed I see the devils entering the gaps in the rows as though they are small sheep."

[Abu Dawud]

We can understand from these narrations that straightening and arranging the rows of the Solat is a Sunnah of the Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) through standing beside one another without leaving a gap in between. However, touching the feet with those of the next person was not established by the Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam), neither verbally nor through practice. Touching the feet may be a means, in the beginning of the Solat, for the purpose of straightening the rows, but not during the Solat.

Dr. Hatim al-Hajj, Associate Professor of Fiqh at the Shari`ah Academy of America and the Islamic University of Minnesota, stated:

There are three opinions in this regard: one that does not prescribe touching the feet at any time (they prescribe aligning by the shoulders), and one that prescribes it in the beginning of the Solat and throughout and a third that only prescribes this at the beginning, for the purpose of aligning the rows.

The stronger position is the third. The evidence is the hadith reported by Anas ibn Malik (radiallahu’anhu) that the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said:

“Make your rows straight, for I can see you from behind my back.”

Anas then said: “Thus, each of us used to put his shoulder against his neighbour’s shoulder and his foot against his foot.”

[Al-Bukhari]

In the hadith of An-Nu`man ibn Bashir (radiallahu’anhu), he mentioned the ankles instead of the feet.

[Abu Dawud]

The alignment of the row should begin from where the imam is standing. Whoever is on the right of the row should align himself by looking at those who are to his left (i.e., closer to the imam). Thus the line will be straightened and the gaps will be filled.

Alignment is done by lining up the heel, shoulders and ankles, and by completing the front rows.

Spreading the legs wide and turn the feet inward so that one's ankles touch one’s neighbours’ ankles is an obvious mistake and an exaggeration, and a new interpretation which is indicative of going to extremes in trying to apply the Sunnah. It causes annoyance and is not prescribed in syari’ah, and it widens the gaps between people standing in solat.

That becomes apparent when the people prostrate, and when they stand up again they become distracted in trying to fill the gaps and turning their feet to make their ankles touch their neighbours’ ankles, which makes them miss out on what they should be doing, which is to make the toes point in the direction of the Qiblah.

Doing that is like competing with one’s neighbour and trying to take his place. All of that is not prescribed in syari’ah.

[La jadid fi Ahkam al-Solah, 12. 13.]

We understand from this that they had their feet touching means only touching the feet at the beginning for the purpose of aligning; however, during the Solat, one should be focusing on the Solat and achieving a state of khushu` (attention with humble tranquillity).

The alignment of the rows at the beginning of the Solat is an important Sunnah according to the majority of scholars. Moreover, according to many of the scholars such as Ibn Taymiyah and Ibn Hajar, it is mandatory and that seems to be the stronger position. This is particularly true when you contemplate this hadith of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam), who said:

“Align your rows, lest Allah will misalign your hearts.”

[Abu Dawud]

We should take heed of this threat, and realize that the exterior, as known to be a fact of psychology, has an impact on the interior.

Also, the abandonment of the Sunnah will bring about division between us, and adhering to it is the way to achieve unity. This is only common sense, since there is one prophet and one Sunnah, but there are many satanic tricks. Furthermore, the disagreement between the scholars, such as the four great imams, is not attributed to any of them abandoning the Sunnah, but rather different ways of understanding it. Once it was clear to any of them that the Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) prescribed something, they never hesitated to follow it.

This mandatory Sunnah has been forsaken by many Muslims. It is our duty to revive the Sunnah of the Messenger (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam).

Allah Almighty Knows Best

[Excerpted with modification from Islam Online, Ask About Islam, published Apr 29, 2009 ]

If the Imam Forgets Pillars of the Solat

Imām had forgotten to sujūd then he repeated the rak’ah, but some of ma’mum didn’t follow suit.

The imam led us in 'Isya Solāt, but he was not the official imam. In the last rak’ah he did not performed the second sujud, and he said the Salam without anyone noticing it or reminding him. A few minutes later, one of the worshippers came and told him about that, so he got up straight away and said, “We will repeat the last rak’ah in order to do the prostration that was forgotten.”Is this correct? What is the ruling on those who did not do the second sujud with them?

In the Name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;
All the Praise is to Allāh a. Peace and Blessings be upon  His Messenger.

Firstly: Obligation of Reminding the Imām during Solāt

If the Imam forgets something during the Solāt, then the Prophet (Sallallāhu `Alayhi Wa Sallam) commanded the members of the congregation to remind him. Ibn Mas'ud reported the Prophet (Sallallāhu `Alayhi Wa Sallam) said:

“...I am only human like you, and I forget as you forget, so if I forget then remind me...”

[Narrated by Muslim, 1168; al- Bukhari, 401]

The Prophet (Sallallāhu `Alayhi Wa Sallam) set the example of correcting the imām when his recitation becomes mixed up, when once "he (Sallallāhu `Alayhi Wa Sallam) prayed, reciting loudly, and his recitation became mixed up, so when he finished, he (Sallallāhu `Alayhi Wa Sallam) said to Ubayy ibn Ka'ab : Did you pray with us? He replied, 'Yes.' He (Sallallāhu `Alayhi Wa Sallam) said, So what prevented you [from correcting me]? "

[Abu Dawud, Ibn Hibban, Tabarani, Ibn `Asakir (2/296/2) & Diya' in al-Mukhtarah with a sahih isnad]

This indicates that correcting the imam is something that is essential.

Thus the congregation in the masjid should have said tasbīh (“Subhān Allāh”) so that the imām would notice and would do the second sujud.

Secondly: If one forgets pillars or essential parts of the Solāt.

Both the first and second sujud are pillars or essential parts of the Solāt, without which the Solāt is not valid. Whoever deliberately omits one or both of them has sinned, and his Solāt is invalid.

And whoever forgotten one or both of it has to perform it when he remember, regardless he is leading a congregation, following an imam or performing Solāt on his own. If he does not do that, his Solāt is deemed invalid.

Shaikh Ibn Salih Al-‘Uthaymeen (rahimahullah) said: The pillars or essential parts of the Solāt are obligatory and more important than the wajib (obligatory parts of Solāt), but they differ from them in that the pillars are not waived if one forgets or omitted it. Whoever forgets a pillar, his Solāt is not valid. One should complete what was omitted, and perform the Sujud al-Sahwi when he realized and reminded about it.

Whilst the wajib parts of the Solāt are waived but should be made up for by performing Sujud Al-Sahwi.

[Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 3/315]

The pillars cannot be made up for by the Sujūd al-Sahwi alone, rather one should completed what was omitted, and perform the Sujud al-Sahwi when he realized and reminded about it.

The evidence for it is the sahih hadith of Abu Hurayrah (radiallāhu`anhu) who reported, “When the Prophet (Sallallāhu `Alayhi Wa Sallam) said the Salām after two rak’ahs in one of the two afternoon solāt, either Zuhur or ‘Asar, and they told him about that, he (Sallallāhu `Alayhi Wa Sallam) did the rest of the prayer, then he said the Salām, then he prostrated twice (sujūd al-Sahwi) after saying the Salām”

[Narrated by al-Bukhari, 482; Muslim, 573]

The Sunnah is that the pillars of Solāt cannot be waived by doing the Sujūd al-Sahwi; it is done after the omitted pillar is replaced.

[Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 3/323]

In the case to what your imām had done that by repeating the final rak’ah in full after being reminded, this is in accordance with one of the two scholarly opinions on this subject, which is the one who omits a pillar or essential part of the final rak’ah and does not realize it until after saying the taslim should do the rak’ah in full.

This is also the view of Imam Ahmad (rahimallāh).

[See al-Mughni, 1/658].

Forgotten the final sujūd

Shaikh Ibn Baaz (rahimallāh), the Hanbalis’ scholar of Fiqh who was asked about an imām who forgot the final prostration in ‘Asar Solāt. He stood up and offered a complete rak’ah, then he said the tashahhud and the taslīm, then he did the Sujūd al-Sahwi.

He said: This is what is prescribed; if the imām forgot final prostration and said the taslīm, and then he remembered it or it was pointed out to him, he should stand up and do a full rak’ah, then say the Salām, and then do the sujūd al-Sahwi after saying the Salām. This is more appropriate. The same ruling applies to one who is performing Solāt alone. But if he does the sujūd al-Sahwi before the Salām, there is nothing wrong with that, but it is preferable after the Salām.

[Majmu’ Fatāwa Ibn Baaz, 11/277]

Imam al-Shāfi’e (rahimallāh) stated if a person or the imām had forgotten to perform the final sujud and said salām, they need not have to perform the rak'ah in full, rather they should perform the pillar that they had forgotten or omitted [i.e the final sujud] and whatever comes after it [and followed by sujūd al-Sahwi at the end of the Solāt].

[See al-Majmu’, 4/33]

If a person omitted inadvertently the pillars, one should completed what was omitted, and perform the Sujud al-Sahwi when he realized or reminded about it. The Solāt would then be considered valid. Otherwise one has to repeat the Solāt.

The sahih hadith of Abu Hurayrah (radiallāhu`anhu) who reported, “When the Prophet (Sallallāhu `Alayhi Wa Sallam) said the Salam after two rak’ahs in one of the two afternoon prayers, either Zuhur or ‘Asar, and they told him about that, he (Sallallāhu `Alayhi Wa Sallam) did the rest of the prayer, then he said the Salam, then he prostrated twice (sujud al-sahwi) after saying the Salam”

[Narrated by al-Bukhāri, 482; Muslim, 573]

And Allāh Almighty knows best.

[Adapted from Fatwa No: 47627 Islam QA]

The obligation of correcting the Imam

The obligation of correcting the Imam

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid


I wander if during Solat, one behind the imam could correct or help him out if he makes mistakes or forgets in the middle of surah?

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;
All the Praise is to Allah. Peace and Blessings be upon  His Messenger.

The duty of correcting the imam is divided into two categories:

1. It is an obligatory correcting the imam concerning that would invalidate the Solat if done deliberately. If he makes a grammatical mistake which changes the meaning of al-Fatihah, then he must be corrected, because this type of mistake which changes the meaning of al-Fatihah invalidates the solat. Similarly, if he omits a verse of al-Fatihah, he must be corrected, because that invalidates the solat.

2. It is a mustahab (recommended) is when the imam makes a mistake which does not invalidate the solat altogether, but it does undermine the perfection of the solat. So if the imam forgets to recite another surah after al-Fatihah, alerting him to this fact is Sunnah.

The evidence for that are the words of the Prophet (Sallallāhu `Alayhi Wa Sallam) :

“I am a human being like you, I forget as you forget. If I forget, then remind me.”

[Narrated by Al-Bukhari, Al-Salah, 401]

The Prophet (Sallallāhu `Alayhi Wa Sallam) set the example of correcting the imam when his recitation becomes mixed up, when once "he prayed, reciting loudly, and his recitation became mixed up, so when he finished, he said to Ubayy Ibn Ka'ab: Did you pray with us? He replied, 'Yes.' He (Sallallāhu `Alayhi Wa Sallam) said, So what prevented you [from correcting me]?"

[Abu Dawud, Ibn Hibban, Tabarani, Ibn `Asakir (2/296/2) ; Diya' in al-Mukhtarah with a sahih isnad]

This indicates that correcting the imam is an obligatory.

[Al-Sharh al-Mumti’ by Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, part 3, p. 346-347]

Allah Almighty Knows Best

[Excerpted from Fatwa No: 14278 Islam QA]