He ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) answered: ‘They stand in rows and they complete them; the first, the second and so on. They stand close together’. (1)

Reflecting on this had?th; we could easily realize the mistakes some people do in their Sal?t, such as:

[1/ 33] The first: doing Sal?t in isolated places -such as a second floor- away from the rows seeking comfort or getting used to doing Sal?t in them, (2) although they are very far from the Im?m and despite the empty spots existing in the front rows. This indeed contradicts the prophet’s ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) order which states: ‘Come closer and follow me [in Sal?t] and those behind follow you. Whoever retreats back [from the front rows], All?h ( - عز وجل -) retards him a way [from all goodness]’. (3)

Shaikh Ibn Taymiyyah said: ‘People should not stand [for Sal?t] in the streets so long as there is enough space in the mosque. Whoever does so is to be punished and those who pass over him are not to be blamed for they do so to complete the rows in the front and this is not forbidden.

When the mosque is completely filled with the straightened connected rows, one could join the congregation by standing in the street. The row that is in the street should not be separated from the last row in the mosque by a road people use. If so, the Sal?t of the those who do Sal?t outside the mosque is invalid according to the soundest opinion of the ‘Ulamah. So is the case with those who stand in a row separate from the other rows by a wall with no need but still hear the Im?m’s Takb?r. As for the one who does the Sal?t in his shop waiting for the rows to reach him, his Sal?t is also