Mishkat al-Masabih
Mishkat al-Masabih 1085
عَن النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ قَالَ: كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُسَوِّي صُفُوفَنَا حَتَّى كَأَنَّمَا يُسَوِّي بِهَا الْقِدَاحَ حَتَّى رَأَى أَنَّا قَدْ عَقَلْنَا عَنْهُ ثُمَّ خَرَجَ يَوْمًا فَقَامَ حَتَّى كَادَ أَنْ يُكَبِّرَ فَرَأَى رَجُلًا بَادِيًا صَدْرُهُ مِنَ الصَّفِّ فَقَالَ: «عِبَادَ اللَّهِ لَتُسَوُّنَّ صُفُوفَكُمْ أَوْ لَيُخَالِفَنَّ اللَّهُ بَيْنَ وُجُوهِكُمْ» . رَوَاهُ مُسلم
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Al-Nuʿman ibn Bashir said: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to straighten our rows until they were like arrows set in order, until he saw that we had understood it from him. One day he came out and stood; he was just about to say the opening takbir when he saw a man’s chest protruding from the row. He said, ‘Servants of Allah, you must straighten your rows, or Allah will surely cause discord among your faces.’” Muslim transmitted it.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic compares the straightened rows to arrows and says Allah will cause discord between their faces. The English witness adds an interpretation of “faces” that is not in the Arabic.