335 – Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The best rows for the men are the first ones, and the worst of them are the last, while the best rows for the women are the last ones, and the worst of them are the first.” (1)

Vocabulary of the ḥadīth
• khayr – sharr: both are comparative/superlative forms. The initial hamzah has been dropped for ease of pronunciation due to their frequent use; they therefore mean “better/best” and “worse/worst.”

Points derived from ḥadīths 334 and 335
1 – In ḥadīth no. 334 we find the recommendation to compact and straighten the rows, with the worshippers standing close together so that no gaps remain. Muslim (430) reports that the Prophet ﷺ said, “Will you not line up as the angels line up before their Lord?” They asked, “How do the angels line up before their Lord?” He replied, “They complete the first row and then the next, and they compact the rows.” Hence it is beyond dispute that aligning the rows is a strongly confirmed sunnah, and that closing ranks and joining the ankles is likewise a strongly confirmed sunnah and an established ruling. Al-Bukhari (717) narrated from al-Nuʿmān ibn Bashīr that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Straighten your rows”—he said it three times—“I then saw a man press his shoulder against the shoulder of his companion and his heel against his heel.” The words “I then saw a man …” and what follows are an insertion from the speech of al-Nuʿmān himself.

2 – His phrase “and his heel against his heel” is intended as emphatic imagery to stress the levelling of the rows, as al-Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar pointed out.

3 – As for ḥadīth 335, it indicates the desirability of the first row and that it is the best.