That is because the imam is followed: when he leads them, they can see him and follow him more fully. As for a woman, she stands alone when no other woman is present; the prescribed practice for her is to form a row. However, the woman’s case establishes two points. It establishes that if someone finds no one to stand beside him behind the row, and cannot enter the row, he may pray alone because of the need. This accords with analogy, for obligations are waived when need requires it. The command to stand in a row with others is one such obligation; if that is impossible, it is waived because of the need, just as other obligatory elements of prayer are waived when needed, as in the prayer of fear, in order to preserve congregational prayer.

Applying this principle consistently, if someone cannot pray with the congregation except by standing ahead of the imam, he may stand ahead of him because of the need. This is the position of several groups of scholars and one of the two views within Ahmad’s school, although they do not permit standing ahead of the imam when that can be avoided.

In short, standing alongside others in a row is no more obligatory than other duties. If those other duties are waived for a valid excuse in congregational prayer, then this duty is all the more deserving of being waived. Among the general principles of Islamic law are that an obligation ceases to be binding when it cannot be fulfilled, and that what necessity compels one to do, without sinful transgression, is not prohibited. Thus, Allah has not made obligatory what is beyond the capacity of