1089 – Al-Nuʿmān ibn Bashīr (may Allah be pleased with him) related: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, “Make your rows straight, or Allah will set your faces at odds with one another.” Agreed upon.

In another report transmitted by Muslim it states: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to straighten our rows until it was as though he were aligning arrow-shafts; once he realized that we had understood his instruction, he came out on another day, stood ready to begin the prayer and was about to pronounce the opening takbīr when he noticed a man whose chest was jutting forward beyond the row. He then said, “Servants of Allah, make your rows straight, or Allah will set your faces at variance.”

[Explanation]

These ḥadiths complete the chapter on arranging the rows for prayer, the encouragement to level them, and related issues. Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet ﷺ used to straighten the rows, turning toward the people and saying, “Align your rows, for I can see you from behind my back.” Thus he commanded them to set their rows in order and informed them that he could see them from behind. This ability was one of the special qualities granted to the Prophet ﷺ in that particular circumstance; otherwise, he did not see what lay behind him.

In the narration of al-Nuʿmān ibn Bashīr the Prophet ﷺ declared that either the rows must be straightened or Allah would cause the worshippers’ faces to diverge. He said, “Servants of Allah, straighten your rows, or Allah will set your faces at variance.”

The scholars have differed as to the meaning of his words “between your faces.” Some held that Allah