The second harmful consequence is that it creates a gap in the row, thereby breaking the row. It is feared that this may fall under breaking a row, concerning which the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Whoever breaks a row, Allah will cut him off.” (1)

The third harmful consequence is that it wrongs the person pulled back, by moving him from the more virtuous place to the less virtuous one.

The fourth harmful consequence is that it inconveniences the entire row, because everyone in the row will have to move when the gap opens in order to close it.

If someone asks: “Should we not instruct him to pray beside the imam?”

We say: We do not instruct him to pray beside the imam, because this entails three harmful consequences:

The first harmful consequence is stepping over people’s necks. If we suppose that the mosque has ten rows, and a person comes but finds no space, and we say, “Go and stand beside the imam,” he will have to step over ten rows. Indeed, even if there were only one row, he would still have stepped over their necks.

The second harmful consequence is that, if he stands beside the imam, he contravenes the sunnah of the imam standing alone in his own position. The imam’s proper place is ahead of those praying behind him; if someone shares him in that position, its distinctive quality is lost.

The third harmful consequence is that if we say, “Step forward beside the imam,” and then another person comes, we say to him, “Step forward beside the imam,” then a second and a third, until there is a complete row beside the imam. But if this person were to stand behind the row—