between them like newborn lambs and go on to distract them from their prayer. Yet one must be mindful of several points.

1 – The aim of standing compactly (murāṣṣah) is not to shove or inconvenience others; rather, it is simply to ensure that no gap remains between you and the person beside you.

2 – It is impermissible to secure a spot in the first row by laying down a handkerchief, a book, or anything similar, treating it as if it were personal property that one may reserve permanently, whether one actually comes or not. I even heard of an incident here on a Friday: a man arrived early, noticed an unoccupied space, and stepped forward to stand there. The habitual occupant—who acted as though he had purchased the place with his own money—came and said, “Why are you sitting here? That is my place.” The newcomer answered, “I found it empty and sat in it.” He insisted, “No, this is my place …”

Glory be to Allah! Did you buy it with your own wealth? The mosques belong to Allah. Whoever arrives first has the greater right; no one has any special entitlement to any place at all. A Muslim should avoid such behaviour entirely. Our teacher ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Saʿdī, may Allah have mercy on him, even declared that reserving spots is forbidden. Some jurists went so far as to say that the person’s prayer might not be valid, because he is praying in a place he has no right to occupy, much like performing the prayer on usurped property.