عَنْ أَبِي مَسْعُودٍ رضي الله عنه قَالَ: كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّه صلى الله عليه وسلم يَمْسَحُ مَنَاكِبَنَا فِي الصَّلاةِ وَيَقُولُ: اسْتَوُوا وَلا تَخْتَلِفُوا فَتَخْتَلِفَ قُلُوبُكُمْ
Abi Mas’ud narrated:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would hold our shoulders before prayer and say, “Straighten yourselves and do not split, lest your hearts dissent.”
Narrated in Sahih Muslim
Grade: Sahih (authentic)
Reflections:
1. Rasulullah (ﷺ) taught us to correct the rows of congregational prayer by adjoining shoulders with the person on either side.
2. Straightening the rows teaches Muslims to forge ukhuwah (brotherhood) and to be united at all times.
3. Al-Qurthubi said, “Dissension of the heart in this particular hadith refers to the refusal of someone to stand in his place by being in front of or behind his row, reflecting arrogance. This further corrupts the heart and may lead to disunity.”
4. In ‘Tharh at-Tathrib’, Imam al-Iraqi cites the opinion of various scholars regarding the purpose of correcting the rows of prayer:
a. To attain istiqamah (steadfastness) and i’tidal (uprightness) externally in the way that they are attained internally (i.e. spiritually)
b. To hinder the disturbance of shayaatin who cast doubt into the heart by preventing them from slipping through gaps
c. To depict orderliness
d. To ensure efficient, maximal usage of the space for prayer
e. To avoid distraction amongst the congregation by having them look only in front of them and not at one another.
5. Disorderliness in the rows of prayer may translate to disorderliness in society. Suwaid bin al-Ghaflah said,
كَانَ بِلَالٌ يَضْرِبُ أَقْدَامَنَا فِي الصَّلَاةِ وَيُسَوِّي مَنَاكِبَنَا
“Bilal (one of the Companions) would hit our feet and abut our shoulders before prayer.”
Let’s ensure our lines of prayer are straight.
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