Hadith Lesson: Straighten Your Rows and Pray in the First

As-Salāmu ‘Alaykum wa RaḥmatuLlāhi wa Barakātuh. A‘ūdhu BiLlāhi Minash-shayṭāni r-rajīm. BismiLlāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm. Wa ṣ-Salātu wa s-Salāmu ‘alá Rasūlinā Muḥammadin Sayyidi l-Awwalīna wa l-Akhirīn. Madad yā RasūlAllāh, Madad yā Sādāti Aṣḥābi RasūliLlāh, Madad yā Mashāyikhinā, Dastūr Mawlana Sheikh Abdullāh al-Fā’iz ad-Dāghistāni, Sheikh Muḥammad Nāẓim al-Ḥaqqānī. Madad.

1Qala RasuluLlah salla Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam The Messenger of Allāh ﷻ (peace be upon him ﷺ) says:

Our Holy Prophet ﷺ is saying, “O servants of Allāh ﷻ, either you straighten your rows or Allāh ﷻ will make your faces and hearts oppose each other.” If those rows are not straight, hearts will be hostile towards each other; there will be no goodness. If the row is straight, their deeds will definitely be good.

2Qala RasuluLlah salla Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam The Messenger of Allāh ﷻ (peace be upon him ﷺ) says:

Our Holy Prophet ﷺ is saying, “Stand in the first row and on the right side.” The right side of the prayer rows. Even if it is the first row on the right side. Pay attention to that, says Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam. “And beware of having a pole that separates between the rows.” So, if there are poles, beware of them, our Prophet ﷺ says, be separate from the pole. Because it cuts the row causing a gap.

3Qala RasuluLlah salla Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam The Messenger of Allāh ﷻ (peace be upon him ﷺ) says:

Our Holy Prophet ﷺ is saying, “The first row has superiority over the other rows in prayer.” The first is more superior.

4Qala RasuluLlah salla Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam The Messenger of Allāh ﷻ (peace be upon him ﷺ) says:

Our Holy Prophet ﷺ is saying, “If you knew what the rewards were in the first row, you would definitely draw lots to pray in that row.” It goes as, “I won the draw, it is my place.” The other didn’t win so he prays back. There are that much rewards in the first row.

5Qala RasuluLlah salla Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam The Messenger of Allāh ﷻ (peace be upon him ﷺ) says:

Our Holy Prophet ﷺ is saying, “The Bedouins should stand behind the Muhajirin and the Ansar, so that they may follow them in prayer.” People who know more of prayer should stand before others, in the first rows, says our Holy Prophet ﷺ. The Muhajireen are those who migrated from Makkah, and the Ansar are the ṣaḥābah who were in Madinah. Let them be in the first rows and those who do not know stand behind, says Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam. Because they are Bedouins, they came from the desert, so they still don’t know the prayer, the adāb, etc. So they should stay behind until they learn, says our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu alayhi wa sallam.

6Qala RasuluLlah salla Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam The Messenger of Allāh ﷻ (peace be upon him ﷺ) says:

Our Holy Prophet ﷺ is saying, “Let those of you who are mature and prudent be nearer to me,” Scholars and those who know Qur’an and prayer well should stand behind me in the first row, says Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam. “And then those who are next to them.” Those with lower knowledge stand in the next row behind them. And after that, those lower than them in this regard. The rows should go to the back in that order. And of course, the rows should be filled. If it’s not filled, you can stand in the front. “Do not stand crooked in the

rows, so that your hearts do not fall into discord.” The rows should be straight, so that their hearts and love may be pure. “And beware of tumult such as found in market.” So don’t talk, shouting and calling like in a market, says our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam.

7Qala RasuluLlah salla Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam The Messenger of Allāh ﷻ (peace be upon him ﷺ) says:

Our Holy Prophet ﷺ is saying, “Those who can learn something from me and convey it to the people should stand behind me.” Because every action of our Prophet ﷺ, every word, every saying is necessary for the ummah, those who stand behind him ﷺ must learn those things and teach them to others, says Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam. He ﷺ said, “Let them stand behind me in prayer.”

8Qala RasuluLlah salla Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam The Messenger of Allāh ﷻ (peace be upon him ﷺ) says:

Our Holy Prophet ﷺ is saying, “The feet that get dusty while walking is not more beloved to Allāh ﷻ than filling the gaps in the rows of prayer.” There is no more dust now but Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam is praising those who fill the gaps in the rows. He ﷺ declares that Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla loves them.

9Qala RasuluLlah salla Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam The Messenger of Allāh ﷻ (peace be upon him ﷺ) says:

Our Holy Prophet ﷺ is saying, “The straightening of the rows is amongst those things which make your prayer a correct and perfect one.” So, when all of the rows in prayer are straight, the prayer becomes more beautiful.

10-Qala RasuluLlah salla Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam The Messenger of Allāh ﷻ (peace be upon him ﷺ) says:

Our Holy Prophet ﷺ is saying, “Whoever frequents the left side of the mosque, and stands in a row on the left side, Allāh ﷻ will write for him two Kifl (fold) of reward.” So, when one side is empty, and all of them are on the other side, if one goes to the left, Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla will give him two-fold of rewards.

11-Qala RasuluLlah salla Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam The Messenger of Allāh ﷻ (peace be upon him ﷺ) says:

Our Holy Prophet ﷺ is saying, “Whoever fills the left side of the mosque because the congregation are few,” if he completes it, “he will be given double the reward.” Because when all of them stand on the right side because there is reward, and the other side is empty – if a person fills this side, he gets double the rewards.

12-Qala RasuluLlah salla Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam The Messenger of Allāh ﷻ (peace be upon him ﷺ) says:

Our Holy Prophet ﷺ is saying, “Whoever completes a row, and fills the gaps in the rows, Allāh ﷻ bestows His ﷻ mercy upon him.” Meaning Allāh ﷻ loves him, and is generous towards him. “And whoever cuts a row and leaves a gap, Allāh ﷻ will also cut His ﷻ mercy off him.” Rows are important; there should be no gaps.

13-Qala RasuluLlah salla Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam The Messenger of Allāh ﷻ (peace be upon him ﷺ) says:

Our Holy Prophet ﷺ is saying, “He ﷺ forbade that children take place in the first row.” Because it is not clear what a child will do among the adults. Therefore, children should be in the back rows.

14-Qala RasuluLlah salla Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam

The Messenger of Allāh ﷻ (peace be upon him ﷺ) says:

Our Holy Prophet ﷺ is saying, “Have the imam in the center of the front row and fill up the gaps.” So, it is wrong for the imam is to stand on the right and not in the middle. He must stand in the middle, and then if there are gaps, fill those gaps, says Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam.

Sadaqa RasuluLlah fi ma qal, aw kama qal. The Messenger of Allāh ﷻ says the truth in what he ﷺ said or as he ﷺ said.

Ihda’ – Dedication:

Ziyadatan ila sharafi’ ‘n-Nabi, sallaLlahu `alayhi wa sallam wa Alihi wa Asahabihi l-kiram, wa ila arwahi jamee’i al Anbiya’i wa l-Mursalin wa Khudama’i sharai’ihim wa ila arwahi al ‘Aimmati al arba’a, wa ila arwahi Mashayyikhina fi tTariqati n-Naqshbandiyyati l-Aliyyah, khassatan Imamu t-Tariqah wa Ghawthu lKhaliqah Khwaja Bahauddin Muhammad al-Uwaisiyi l-Bukhari, Sayyidina Abdul Khaliq al Ghujduwani, Mawlana Shaykh Sharafuddin al Daghestani, Mawlana Shaykh Abdullah al Faiz al Daghestani, Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Nazim Adil al Haqqani, wa sai’ri Sadatina wa s-Siddiqiyun, wa man nahnu fi hadratihim wa jiwarihim, for the souls of all our passed ones, for the souls of all Shaheeds. LiLlahi Ta’ala, Al-Fatiha.

[(Translation) To the honor of the Prophet, Prayers and Peace be upon Him, and his family, and his companions, and the souls of all the prophets as well as of His messengers and of those who served their Sharia, and to the souls of the four Imams. And to the souls of our Mashayikh of the Most Distinguished Naqshbandi Tariqa, in particular to the soul of the Imam of the Tariqa Ghawth alKhaliqa (the Help of Creation), Khwaja Bahauddin Muhammad al-Uwaisiyi lBukhari, Sayyidina Abdul Khaliq al Ghujduwani, Mawlana Shaykh Sharafuddin al Daghestani, Mawlana Shaykh Abdullah al Faiz al Daghestani, Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Nazim Adil al Haqqani, and the rest of our masters and Siddiqiyun, and to whom we are in their presence and near them, for the souls of all our passed ones, for the souls of all Shaheeds. To Allah Almighty. Al Fatiha.]

Mawlana Sheikh Muhammad Adil ar-Rabbani 04 March 2025/ 04 Ramadan 1446 Beylerbeyi Dergah, Istanbul