بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Standing shoulder to shoulder and foot to foot in prayer:
Click here for Shaykh Al-Mubārakfūrīs and Ibn Uthaymīns speech
al-Barā’ ibn ‘Āzib narrated:
كان رسول الله ﷺ يأتي ناحية الصف، ويسوي بين صدور القوم ومناكبهم، ويقول: «لا تختلفوا فتختلف قلوبكم. إن الله وملائكته يصلون على الصفوف الأول
The Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) used to come to the side of the row and align the people’s chests and shoulders, and would say: “Do not differ, lest your hearts differ. Indeed, Allāh and His angels send salāh upon the first rows.” (Sahīh Ibn Khuzaymah 1557)
Sammāk ibn Harb narrated:
سَمِعْتُ النُّعْمَانَ بْنَ بَشِيرٍ يَخْطُبُ، قَالَ : كانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يُسَوِّي الصَفَّ أَوْ الصُّفُوفَ حَتَّى يَدَعَهُ مِثْلَ القِدْحِ أَوْ الرُّمْحِ ، فَرَأَى صَدْرَ رَجُلٍ نَاتِنَا، فَقَالَ : عِبَادَ اللَّهِ سُؤُوا صُفُوفَكُمْ أَوْ لِيُخالِفَنَّ اللَّهُ بين وجُوهِكُمْ
I heard an-Nu’mān ibn Bashīr delivering a sermon, he said: “The Prophet (ﷺ) used to straighten the row or rows until he would leave it like al-qidh (the perfected arrow prepared for shooting) or the spear. Then he saw a man’s chest protruding, so he said: “Servants of Allāh, straighten your rows, or Allāh will surely cause discord between your faces.“
Shaykh al-Arnāūt said: “This is a Sahīh hadith, reported by Muslim (436) from Yahyā ibn Yahyā, from Abū Khaythama, from Sammāk, and reported by al-Bukhārī (717).
The meaning of the hadīth is that he (ﷺ) would go to great lengths in straightening the rows until they became like arrows due to their perfect alignment…
… in the hadīth is evidence that straightening the rows is one of the responsibilities of the imām, and some of the Imāms from the Salaf used to delegate people who would straighten their rows.” (Abridged, Tahdhīb Sharh al-Sunnah of al-Baghawī 2/194-195)
Nāfī’ narrated:
كُنْتُ مَعَ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عَفَّانَ، فَقَامَتِ الصَّلَاةُ، وَأَنَا أَكَلَمُهُ فِي أَنْ يَفْرِضَ لِي، فَلَمْ أَزَلَ أَكَلِّمُهُ، وَهُوَ يُسَوِّي الحَصْبَاءَ بِنَعْلَيْهِ، حَتَّى جَاءَهُ رِجَالٌ ، قَدْ كَانَ وَكَلَهُمْ بِتَسْوِيَةِ الصُّفُوفِ فَأَخْبَرُوهُ أَنَّ الصُّفُوفَ قَدِ اسْتَوَتْ، فَقَالَ لِي : اسْتَوِ فِي الصَّفْ، ثُمَّ كَبَّرَ.
‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb used to command (and delegate) the straightening of the rows, and when they came to him and informed him that the (rows) had been straightened, then he would say the takbīr. (Muwattā 44/361 – al-Muhallā of al-Dahlawī, Sunan al-Kubrā of al-Bayhaqī 2292, Sahīh)
Mālik (ibn Abī ‘Āmir) narrated:
كُنْتُ مَعَ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عَفَّانَ، فَقَامَتِ الصَّلَاةُ، وَأَنَا أَكَلَّمُهُ فِي أَنْ يَفْرِضَ لِي، فَلَمْ أَزَلَ أَكَلِّمُهُ، وَهُوَ يُسَوِّي الْحَصْبَاءَ بِنَعْلَيْهِ ، حَتَّى جَاءَهُ رِجَالٌ، قَدْ كَانَ وَكَلَهُمْ بِتَسْوِيَةِ الصُّفُوفِ، فَأَخْبَرُوهُ أَنَّ الصُّفُوفَ قَدِ اسْتَوَتْ، فَقَالَ لِي : اسْتَوِ فِي الصَّفَ ، ثُمَّ كَبَّرَ
I was with ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān, and the prayer was (being) established while I was speaking with him about allocating me a stipend. I continued speaking with him while he was levelling the pebbles with his sandals, until men came whom he had delegated to straighten the rows, and they informed him that the rows had been straightened. He said to me: “Stand in the row,” then he said the takbīr. (Muwattā 44/362 – al-Muhallā of al-Dahlawī, Sunan al-Kubrā of al-Bayhaqī 2293, Sahīh)
Suwayd ibn Ghafalah narrated:
كَانَ بِلَالٌ – هُوَ مُؤَذِّنُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَضْرِبُ أَقْدَامَنَا فِي الصَّلَاةِ وَيُسَوِّي مَنَاكِبَنَا
“Bilāl – he is the mu’adhdhin of the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) – used to strike our feet in prayer and straighten our shoulders.” (al-Muhallā of Ibn Hazm 2/20, Ibn Abī Shaybah 3534, Sahīh)
Ibn Hazm said: “This Bilāl would not strike anyone except for an obligation.” (al-Muhallā 2/20)
Imām Ibn Muflih said: “Then the imām straightens the rows, and it is obligatory that the rows be straightened. This is the apparent meaning of our shaykh’s words (i.e. Shaykh ul-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah)…” (Ikhtiyarāt of Ibn Taymiyyah 2/441)
Imām Ibn al-‘Uthaymīn said: “…the imām does not say takbīr for prayer until he sees that the rows have become straight. For this reason, when the Prophet (ﷺ) stood in his place and intended to say takbīr, and saw this man whose chest was protruding, he stopped until he said what he said…*” (Sharh Umdatul Ahkām 1/820)
Imām al-Saffārīnī said: “…that straightening rows is among the responsibilities of the imām, and our scholars (i.e. hanbalī scholars) explicitly stated this like others.
It is said in ‘al-Furū’ (of Ibn Muflīh): Then the imām straightens the rows by the shoulders and ankles, completes the first then the next, and they stand close together.” (Sharh Umdatul Ahkām of al-Saffārīnī 2/232)
fawaaids.com 