the Qiblah, and the Im?m used to stand in the added area followed by the Sah?bah who used to stand right behind him in the first row and used not to stand back words- as some people do these days!! (1)

Shaikhul Isl?m said: ‘Many authentic ’?th?r affirm that the area added to the prophet’s ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) Mosque is considered part of the Mosque itself; that is the superiority of doing one Sal?t in it equals one thousand ones else where. So is the case with Al-Masjidul Har?m; a muslim is permitted to do Taw?f in the area added to it. Hence, the agreement amongst the Sah?bah that doing Sal?t in the first row in the addition which ‘Umar and ‘Uthman ( - رضي الله عنهم -) added to the mosque is legal which all muslims has been following till these days. Had Sal?t in the additional area been invalid, they [the Sah?bah] would have ordered muslims not to perform it there’. Then he continued: ‘The statements of all the great Im?ms and their practices affirm this ruling. They stated that “standing right behind the Im?m in the first row in the obligatory Sal?t is better”’. This is indeed the Sunnah which both ‘Umar and ‘Uthman ( - رضي الله عنهم -) followed; they both performed Sal?t in the additional area of the mosque, and so did those who stood in the first row -which is the best row in which one could ever stand.

Accordingly; were not this addition part of the mosque, the rightly guided caliphs would not have done Sal?t in it, and none of the Salaf had done so. Some late Fuqah?’ postulated that the additional area is not part of the Mosque but none of the ‘Ulamah’s views support this opinion’. (2)

[45] Performing congregational Sal?t in places other than the mosques:

When the Mu’aththin calls for Sal?t and when Sal?t is due, many of those gathered in their aimless councils -talking in good or idle subjects- think that performing the Sal?t in congregation in the place in which they are gathered is sufficient, and that they will