is not part of the first row at all; the true first row is the uninterrupted line directly in front of the pulpit. Al-Ghazālī states in the Ihyāʾ: “When seeking the merit of the first row one must not overlook three matters. (After mentioning the first two he said:) Third: the pulpit cuts through some rows, and the first row is only the single continuous line that lies in the open space of the pulpit, while what lies at its two ends is severed. Al-Thawrī used to say, ‘The first row is the one that lies out in front of the pulpit.’ This is sound because it is continuous, and because the worshipper seated there faces the preacher and can hear him. It is also possible to say that the row closest to the qiblah is the first row and that this meaning should not be disregarded.”

Al-Nawawī reaches the same ruling in al-Majmūʿ, where he says: “Know that what is meant by the first row is the one that is adjacent to the imam, whether or not a pulpit, enclosure, pillars, or anything else intervenes.”

In any case, praying behind the pulpit is not free of dislike, for the prayer offered there is exposed to corruption or even invalidity. One should therefore either pray in the row on the other side of the pulpit, where the imam’s movements remain visible, or join the following row. This, God willing, is what we ourselves do: we do not pray between the pillars; rather, we move back from them or step forward, just as Anas ibn Mālik did. In our estimation there is no difference between that and praying behind the pulpit, for the rationale is the same, and the risk of one’s prayer being spoiled is even greater here than when praying between pillars, as has already been explained. And Allah knows best.