Third: al-Tabarani’s chain of transmission includes the two narrators named Layth, both of whom are weak.

Note: Al-Khattabi said in Maʿalim al-Sunan (1/334): “I say: the meaning of ‘yielding the shoulder’ is to maintain calmness and composure in prayer: one should not turn around or rub his shoulder against that of the person beside him. It may also have another meaning: that one should not prevent anyone wishing to enter between the rows in order to fill a gap or because of limited space. Rather, he should allow him to do so and not push him away with his shoulder, so that the rows may be compact and the congregation stand shoulder to shoulder.”

I say: This second meaning is the one immediately suggested by the hadith, whereas the first is exceedingly remote from its context for anyone who reflects upon it. What further supports this is the wording of the hadith of Ibn ʿUmar, narrated by Abu Dawud (666) and attributed to the Prophet: “Straighten the rows, align the shoulders, fill the gaps, and yield to your brothers’ hands. Do not leave openings for Satan. Whoever joins a row, Allah will join him; and whoever breaks a row, Allah will cut him off.” Its chain of transmission is authentic, as al-Nawawi said (1), for it clarifies that the instruction to yield is specifically for filling gaps and joining the rows together. Hence Abu Dawud said immediately afterward: “The meaning of ‘yield to your brothers’ hands’ is that, when a man comes to a row intending to enter it, each person should yield his shoulder to him so that he may enter the row.”

For this reason, al-Nawawi cited it in al-Majmuʿ (4/301) as evidence that “it is recommended to make room for one who wishes to enter the row...” It is evident to every lover of the Sunnah who knows it well that al-Khattabi’s statement: