He replied:

It is established in the authentic collection that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Will you not form rows as the angels form rows before their Lord?”

They asked, “O Messenger of Allah, how do the angels form rows before their Lord?”

He replied, “They fill the first row, then the next, and stand close together in the row.”

It is also established in the authentic collection that he said:

“If people knew the reward for giving the call to prayer and standing in the first row, and could find no way to obtain it except by drawing lots, they would draw lots for it.”

It is likewise authentically recorded that he said:

“The best of the men’s rows is the first, and the worst is the last.”

These and similar teachings of the Sunnah indicate that worshippers should complete the first row, then the second. Whoever arrives before the others but stands in a row other than the first has acted contrary to Islamic law. If, in addition, he performs the prayer poorly, engages in unnecessary, disliked, or forbidden speech, or commits similar acts from which the mosque should be kept free, then he has failed to honor the religious ordinances and has stepped outside the prescribed bounds of obedience to Allah.

If he does not acknowledge the fault in his conduct and commit himself to following Allah’s command, he deserves a severe punishment that will induce him and others like him to carry out what Allah has commanded and refrain from what Allah has forbidden. And Allah knows best.