during the prophet’s ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) time; accordingly, it clearly presents the prophet’s ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) order of straightening rows’. (1)
An-Nu‘m?n Ibn Bash?r stated clearly that which ’Anas ( - رضي الله عنه -) mentioned and added the knee. He said: ‘The prophet ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) once addressed the people in the mosque and said: ‘Straighten your rows (thrice), or else All?h ( - عز وجل -) will excite enmity amongst you’.
An-Nu‘m?n then said: ‘Thereupon, each would adjoin one’s shoulder, knee, and heel to the one next to him’. (2)
Commenting on both Anas’s and An-Nu‘m?n’s ah?d?th, Al-Alb?n? said: ‘The aforementioned ah?d?th include very important rulings: the first: the Wuj?b [obligation] of straightening rows in the manner described for any prophet’s ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) order is considered as obligation as is established in the science of ’Us?lul Fiqh [Fundamentals of Fiqh]; unless the order is accompanied with circumstantial evidence that abolishes the obligation. The circumstantial evidence here affirms the obligation itself, i.e. ‘otherwise, All?h will excite enmity amongst you’.
The second: straightening rows is done by adjoining feet and shoulders together for this was the way through which the Sah?bah carried out the prophet’s ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) order. (3)
Regretfully, this Sunnah is being abandoned by many muslims -save few who are of Ahlul Had?th and some of whom I saw in Makkah in 1368H- unlike the followers of the four Math?hib, even
(1) “Fathul B?r?” (vol. 2 / p. 211).
(2) Narrated by: Ab? D?w?d in his “Sunnan” (no. 662), Ibn Hibb?n in “The Sah?h” (no. 396), Ahmad in “Al-Musnad” (vol. 4 / p. 276) and Ad-D?l?b? in “Al-Kun? Wal ’Asm?’ “(vol. 2 / p. 86) and its chain of narrators is authentic. Al-Bukh?r? narrated An-Nu‘man’s had?th through a strong disconnected chain of narration in his “Sah?h” (vol. 2 / p. 211). Ad-D?raqutn? narrated it through a connected chain of narrators in his “Sunnan” (vol. 1 / p. 282), Ibn Hajar in “Taghl?qut Ta‘l?q” (vol. 2 / p. 302), Ibn Khuzaimah in “Hadyus S?r?” (p. 28), and in “Al-Fath” (vol. 2 / p. 211), and “At-Targ?b Wat-Tarh?b” (vol. 1 / p. 176). See: “As-Silsilah As-Sah?hah” (no. 32).
(3) See: “Sharh Rawdut T?lib?n” (vol. 1 / p. 222) by Shaikh Zakaria Al-Ans?r?.
Important Note:One must not exceed the proper limit when adjoining one’s feet to those next to him in order to fill a gab in the row for this would make it impossible for the shoulders to be made in contact with each other.