What is the ruling on congregational prayer consisting of two individuals if the Imam is positioned in front of the follower and they are not aligned, does the prayer become void and must be repeated?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
A single follower stands to the right of the Imam, parallel to him. This is the view held by the majority of scholars, and it is supported by the of Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, in which he stood to the left of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who then moved him to his right. Some scholars are of the opinion that it is preferable for the follower to stand slightly behind the Imam. This slight delay does not invalidate the prayer. However, a significant delay, such that the follower is far behind the Imam, invalidates the prayer.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/11512
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 11512
- Added here
- . 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
- Read the full answer on Ftawy