Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat)

jabir b. Samurah reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: Why do you stand in rows as the angels do in the presence of their Lord? We asked: how do the angles stand in rows in the presence of their Lord? He replied: they make the first row complete and keep close together in the row.

Al-Nu’man b. Bashir said: the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) paid attention to the people and said three times; straighten your rows (in prayer); by Allah, you must straighten your rows, or Allah will certainly put your faces in contrary directions. I then saw that every person stood in prayer keeping his shoulder close to that of the other, and his knee close to that of the other, and his ankle close to that of the other.

Al-Nu’man b. Bashir said: the prophet (ﷺ) used to straighten us in the rows of prayer as the arrow is straightened, until he thought that we had learned it from him and understood it. One day he turned towards us, and shoulders in order, and say; Do not be irregular. And he would say: Allah and his Angels bless those who near the first rows.

Narrated Al-Bara' ibn Azib: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pass through the row from one side to the other; he used to set out chests and shoulders in order, and say: Do not be irregular. And he would say: Allah and His angels bless those who are near the first rows.

Narrated An-Nu'man ibn Bashir: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to straighten our rows when we stood up to pray, and when we were straight, he said: Allah is most great (takbir).

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Set the rows in order, stand shoulder to shoulder, close the gaps, be pliant in the hands of your brethren, and do not leave openings for the devil. If anyone joins up a row, Allah will join him up, but if anyone breaks a row, Allah will cut him off.Abu Dawud said: The name of Abu Shjrah is Kathir b. Murrah.

Narrated Anas ibn Malik: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Stand close together in your rows, bring them near one another, and stand neck to neck, for by Him in Whose hand my soul is, I see the devil coming in through openings in the row just like a small black sheep.

Anas reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying : Straighten your rows for the straightening of the rows is part of perfecting the prayer.

Muhammad b. Muslim b. al-Sa’ib said: one day I prayed by the side of Anas b. Malik. He said ; Do you know why this stick is placed here ? I said : No, by Allah. He said; The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to put his hand upon it and say: Keep straight and straighten your rows.

This tradition has also ben transmitted by Anas through a different chain of transmitters. This version goes: when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood for prayer, he took it (the stick) in his right hand and turning (to the right side) said; keep straight and straighten your rows. He then took it in his left hand and said; keep straight and straighten your rows.

Narrated Anas ibn Malik: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Complete the front row, then the one that comes next, and if there is any incompleteness, let it be in the last row.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: The best of you are those whose shoulders are soft in prayer.

Narrated AbdulHamid ibn Mahmud: I offered the Friday prayer along with Anas ibn Malik. We were pushed to the pillars (due to the crowd of people). We, therefore, stopped forward and backward. Anas then said: We used to avoid it (setting a row between the pillars) during the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).

Abu Ma’sud reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: let those of your who are sedate and prudent be near me, then those who are next to them, then those who are next to them.

This tradition has also been transmitted by ‘Abd Allah (b. Mas’ud) through a different chain of narrators. This version adds: “Do not be irregular, so have your hearts irregular, and beware of tumult such as found in market”.

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Allah and His angels bless those who are on the right flanks of the rows.

Narrated AbuMalik al-Ash'ari: Should I not tell you how the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) led the prayer? He said: He had the iqamah announced, drew the men up in line and drew up the youths behind them, then led them in prayer. He then mentioned how he conducted it. and said: Thus is the prayer of......AbdulA'la said: I think he must have said: My people.

Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: the best of the men’s row is the first and the worst of them is the last, but the best of the women’s rows is the last and the worst of them is the first.

‘A’ishah reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying the people will continue to keep themselves away from the front row until Allah will keep them away (from the front) in the Hell-fire.

Abu Sa’Id al-Khudri said; The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saw a tendency among his companions to go to the back. He said to them; come forward and follow my lead, and let those who come after you follow your lead people will continue to keep to the back till Allah would put them at the back.

Narrated AbuHurayrah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Have the imam in the centre and close up the gaps.

Narrated Wabisah: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saw a man praying alone behind the row. He ordered him to repeat. Sulayman ibn Harb said: The prayer.

Abu Bakrah said that he came to the mosque when the prophet (ﷺ) was bowing. So I bowed outside the row (before joining it). The prophet (ﷺ) said; May Allah increase your eagerness! But do not do it again.

Al-Hasan reported : Abu Bakrah came when the apostle of Allah (ﷺ) was bowing. So he bowed without the row (before joining it). He then went to the row. When the prophet (ﷺ) finished his prayer, he said: which of your bowed without the row, and then went to the row? Abu Bakrah said; it was i. the prophet (ﷺ) said: May Allah increase your eagerness ! but do not do it again.

Talhah b. 'Ubaid Allah reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: When you place in front of you something such as the back of a saddle, then there is no harm if someone passes in front of you (i.e. the other side of it).

'Ata said: The back of the saddle is (about) one cubit (in height) or more than that.

Ibn 'Umar said: When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would go out (for prayer) on the day of 'Id, he ordered to bring a lance, it was then setup in front of him and he would pray in its direction, and the people (stood) behind him. He used to do so during journey ; hence the rulers would take it (lance with them).

Abu Juhaifah said: The Prophet (ﷺ) led them in prayer at al-Batha', with a staff set up in front of him. (He prayed) two rak'ahs of the Zuhr prayer and two rak'ahs of the 'Asr prayer. The women and the donkeys would pass in front of the staff.

Narrated AbuHurayrah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: When one of you prays, he should put something in front of his face, and if he can find nothing , he should set up his staff; but if he has no staff, he should draw a line; then what passes in front of him will not harm him.

This tradition has also been reported by Abu Hurairah through a different chain of narrators.Abu Hurairah reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: ...... He then narrated the tradition about drawing the line.Sufyan said: We did not find anything by which we could reinforce this tradition, and this has been narrated only through this chain.He ('Ali b. al-Madini, a narrator) said: I said to Sufyan: There is a difference of opinion of the name (Abu Muhammad b. 'Amr). He pondered for a moment and then said: I do not remember except Abu Muhammad b. 'Amr Sufyan said: A man had come to Kufah after the death of Isma'il b. Umayyah ; he was seeking Abu Muhammad until he found him. He asked him (about this tradition) but he became confused. Abu Dawud said: I heard Ahmad b. Hanbal who was questioned many times how the line should be drawn. He replied: In this way. horizontally like crescent.Abu Dawud said: I heard Musaddad say: Ibn Dawud said: The line should be drawn perpendicularly.Abu Dawud said: I heard Ahmad b. Hanbal describing many times how the line should be drawn. He said: In this way horizontally in the round semi-circular form like the crescent, that is (the line should be) a curve.