Is it obligatory to leave a gap in the first row of prayer to facilitate the passage of latecomers, taking into consideration the importance of completing and straightening the rows? And is focusing on completing the rows considered among the "minor matters" that one should not be preoccupied with compared to humility (khushu')?
First: Juristic rulings are not based on opinion and caprice; rather, they are based on شرعي proofs from the Qur’an, the , scholarly consensus (ijma‘), sound analogical reasoning (), and the sayings of the Companions.
Second: It is not permissible to describe what Allah and His Messenger have legislated as small or insignificant, for this is a disparagement of the Sacred Law, and everything Allah has legislated is great.
Third: The rows for prayer must be complete, tightly packed, and close to each other. The first row should be completed, then the one after it.
Fourth: If a person prays alone behind a row when there is an open space in the row in front of him, his prayer is invalid.
Fifth: The sutrah (barrier) of the Imam serves as a sutrah for those praying behind him. Passing in front of the rows does not invalidate the prayer of the congregants. However, if the passage of latecomers would disturb the worshippers, a narrow passage can be made beside the rows for latecomers to pass through.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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