Is it permissible to pray to the left of the Imam in the same row due to lack of space on the right side and the narrowness of the area?
The prayer of a ma'mum (follower) to the left of the imam (leader) falls into two scenarios:
1. The ma'mum stands to the left of the imam while the imam's right side is empty: According to the Hanbalis, the ma'mum's prayer is invalid. According to the majority of scholars, it is valid but constitutes a deviation from the . 2. The ma'mum stands to the left of the imam with another ma'mum already to the imam's right: The ma'mum's prayer is valid.
The Sunnah is for a single ma'mum to stand to the right of the imam. If there are multiple ma'mums, they should form rows behind the imam if possible. If the space is insufficient, it is permissible for a ma'mum who arrives late to stand to the left of the imam if there is already another ma'mum to the imam's right.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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- Original fatwa ID
- 11037
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- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
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