بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Imām Bukhārī said:
باب يَقُومُ عَنْ يَمِينِ الإِمَامِ بِحِذَائِهِ سَوَاءٌ إِذَا كَانَا اثْنَيْنِ
Chapter on Standing to the Right of the Imām, Equal/Level with Him, When There Are Two
عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ بِتُ فِي بَيْتِ خَالَتِي مَيْمُونَةً فَصَلَّى رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ العِشَاءَ، ثُمَّ جَاءَ فَصَلَّى أَرْبَعَ رَكَعَاتٍ ثُمَّ نَامَ، ثُمَّ قَامَ فَجِئْتُ فَقُمْتُ عَنْ يَسَارِهِ، فَجَعَلَنِي عَنْ يَمِينِهِ، فَصَلَّى خَمْسَ رَكَعَاتٍ، ثُمَّ صَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ، ثُمَّ نَامَ حَتَّى سَمِعْتُ غَطِيطَهُ – أَوْ قَالَ خَطِيطَهُ – ثُمَّ خَرَجَ إِلَى الصَّلاةِ
Ibn Abbās narrated: “I spent the night in the house of my maternal aunt Maymūnah, and Allāh’s Messenger (ﷺ) prayed al-‘Ishā’, then he came and prayed four rak’ahs, then he slept, then he stood up. I came and stood to his left, so he placed me to his right, and he prayed five rak’ahs, then he prayed two rak’ahs, then he slept until I heard his ghatīt (snoring sound) – or he said his khatīt- then he went out to the (Fajr) prayer.” (Sahīh al-Bukhārī 697)
Hāfidh Ibn Hajr said:
“His statement (I.e. Imām Bukhārīs) “equal/level” – سَوَاءٌ – means: he neither advances nor falls behind.
Our companions/scholars (i.e. adherents of the Shāfi madhab) said: It is recommended that the follower stand slightly behind him.
It seems the compiler (i.e. Imām Bukhārī) indicated by this (due to) what occurred in some of its (other) routes (i.e. a different version of the hadīth), for it was mentioned previously in [the book of] Purification from Makhramah’s narration from Kurayb from Ibn Abbās with the wording: “So I stood beside him” – فَقُمْتُ إِلَى جَنْبِهِ – [Number 171 of Sahīh al-Bukhārī] and its apparent meaning is equality (in position).
Ibn Jurayj narrated: “I said to ‘Atā’: “When a man prays with another man, where should he be in relation to him?” He said: “To his right side.” I said: “Should he be level with him so that he lines up with him, with neither one ahead of the other?” He said: “Yes.” I said: “Do you prefer that he be equal with him so that there is no gap between them?” He said: “Yes.””
In al-Muwattā’ from ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Utbah ibn Mas’ūd who said: “I entered upon ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb during midday and found him performing tasbīh (i.e. prayer), so I stood behind him. He brought me close until he made me level with him to his right.”” (Abridged, Fath al-Bārī of Ibn Hajr 2/530)
Imām Al-Albānī said:
“This [hadīth of Ibn ‘Abbās] contains an indication of refutation to those who say it is recommended for the imām to be slightly ahead of the follower.
This contradicts the apparent meaning of the hadīth that the author used as evidence, and contradicts what ‘Umar did, for a man stood behind him, so he brought him close until he made him level with him to his right – Mālik narrated it (1/199-170) with an authentic chain from him.
See the hadīth of the Prophet’s (ﷺ) prayer with the Companions during his illness, and his sitting to the right of Abū Bakr level with him – this is another evidence for the author, and there is an explicit narration in the chapter from Ibn Abbās recorded in al-Sahīhah 606.” (Fath al-Bārī 2/529 – Dar al-‘Ālamiyyah)
Imām ibn ‘Uthaymīn said:
“If there is only an imām and a follower (in salāh), should the follower step back slightly?
The answer is: He should not step back. Some scholars have recommended – a recommendation that has no evidence – that the follower should step back slightly so that the imām may be distinguished by advancing ahead of him. It is said: this is a mistake. When there is an imām and a follower, they form a row, and the row should be straightened – no one should advance ahead of another.” (Abridged, Sharh Umdatul Ahkām 1/814)
Shaykh Ahmad al-Najmī said:
“The hadīth contains evidence that the position of the follower when he is alone is to the right of the imām.
Then they (i.e. the scholars) differed about his prayer if he stands to the left of the imām. Mālik, al-Shāfi’ī, and the people of opinion (i.e. Hanafīs) went to the view that if he does that, he has opposed the sunnah but his prayer is valid.
The Hanbalīs went to the view that his prayer is invalid.
The first view is more apparent (as being correct) because invalidating the original (state/ruling) requires evidence, and there is no evidence (for that).” (Sharh Umdatul-Ahkām 1/210-211)
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