Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat)

Anas ibn Malik said: We used to pray with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in intense heat. When one of us could not press his face to the ground, he spread his garment and prostrated on it.

Jabir ibn Samurah reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Will you not form your rows as the angels form their rows before their Lord?’ We asked: ‘How do the angels form their rows before their Lord?’ He replied: ‘They complete the front rows and stand close together within each row.’

Al-Nuʿman ibn Bashir said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) turned to the people and said three times: ‘Straighten your rows.’ Then he said: ‘By Allah, you must straighten your rows, or Allah will cause discord between your hearts.’ Al-Nuʿman said: I saw each man press his shoulder against his companion’s shoulder, his knee against his knee, and his ankle against his ankle.

Al-Nuʿman ibn Bashir said: The Prophet (ﷺ) used to straighten us in the rows as an arrow is straightened, until he thought we had learned it from him and understood it. One day he turned to us and saw a man standing with his chest jutting out. He said: ‘You must straighten your rows, or Allah will make your faces differ.’

Al-Bara’ ibn ʿAzib said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pass through the row from one end to the other, touching our chests and shoulders. He would say: ‘Do not stand apart, lest your hearts differ.’ He also used to say: ‘Allah and His angels bless the front rows.’

Al-Nuʿman ibn Bashir said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to straighten our rows when we stood for prayer. When we were straight, he said the takbir.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Straighten the rows, align your shoulders, close the gaps, and be accommodating to your brothers. Do not leave openings for Satan. Whoever joins a row, Allah will join him; whoever breaks a row, Allah will cut him off.’

Abu Dawud said: ‘Abu Shajarah is Kathir ibn Murrah.’ He also explained ‘be accommodating to your brothers’: when a man comes to join the row, each man should make room for him with his shoulders until he can enter the row.

The report through Ibn Wahb is more complete. In the route through Qutaybah, Abu Shajarah is named instead of Ibn ʿUmar, and ʿIsa does not include the words ‘and be accommodating to your brothers.’

Anas ibn Malik reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Pack your rows closely, bring them near one another, and align your necks. By Him in whose hand is my soul, I see Satan entering through gaps in the row as if he were a small sheep.’

Anas reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Straighten your rows, for straightening the row is part of completing the prayer.’

Muhammad ibn Muslim ibn al-Sa’ib, who served in the prayer niche, said: One day I prayed beside Anas ibn Malik. He asked: ‘Do you know why this staff was placed here?’ I replied: ‘No, by Allah.’ He said: ‘The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to place his hand on it and say: “Stand straight and align your rows.”’

In another chain for this report, from Anas, it is said that when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood for prayer, he took the staff in his right hand, turned, and said: ‘Stand upright; align your rows.’ Then he took it in his left hand and said: ‘Stand upright; align your rows.’

Anas ibn Malik reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Complete the front row, then the one behind it. Any shortfall should be in the last row.’

Ibn ʿAbbas reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘The best among you are those who are most accommodating with their shoulders in prayer.’ Abu Dawud said: ‘Jaʿfar ibn Yahya was from Mecca.’

ʿAbd al-Hamid ibn Mahmud said: I prayed Friday prayer with Anas ibn Malik. We were pressed toward the pillars, so we moved forward and backward. Anas said: ‘In the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), we used to avoid this.’

Abu Masʿud reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Let those of you who are mature and discerning stand nearest to me, then those next to them, then those next to them.’

In another chain, ʿAbdullah ibn Masʿud reported a similar saying from the Prophet (ﷺ), with this addition: ‘Do not stand apart, lest your hearts differ, and beware of the commotion of the marketplaces.’

ʿA’ishah reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Allah and His angels bless the right sides of the rows.’

Abu Malik al-Ashʿari said: ‘Shall I tell you how the Prophet (ﷺ) prayed?’ He established the prayer, formed the men into a row, and placed the boys behind them. Then he led them in prayer and described how he prayed. He said: ‘This is how the prayer is…’ ʿAbd al-Aʿla said: ‘I think he said: “the prayer of my community.”’

Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘The best rows for men are the front ones, and the worst are the back ones. The best rows for women are the back ones, and the worst are the front ones.’

ʿA’ishah reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘People will continue to lag behind the front row until Allah puts them behind in the Fire.’