Straighten your rows, for indeed, straightening the row is from the perfection of the prayer

Arabic text

عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ رضي الله عنه قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «سَوُّوا صُفُوفَكُمْ، فَإِنَّ تَسْوِيَةَ الصَّفِّ مِنْ تَمَامِ الصَّلَاةِ».

Translation

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Straighten your rows, for indeed, straightening the row is from the perfection of the prayer."

Explanation

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commands those who perform the prayer to straighten their rows, not being forward or backward from the row, and that straightening the rows is part of the completion and perfection of the prayer, whereas the crookedness of the row is a flaw and deficiency in the prayer.

Benefits

• Permissibility of paying attention to whatever leads to perfecting the prayer and keeps it far from deficiency.
• Wisdom of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) in teaching as he joined the ruling with its cause to clarify the rationale behind the legislation and encourage people to comply.

Topics

• Jurisprudence and Juristic Principles
• Jurisprudence of Acts of Worship
• Prayer
• Rulings of the Imam and Followers in Prayer
• The rulings of mosques