SECTION ON PRAYER · 95 – STANDING IN ROWS BETWEEN THE PILLARS
From ‘Abdulhumeyd bin Mahmud (may Allah be pleased with him):
I performed the prayer with Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) on a Friday.
We were jostled by the crowd and pushed against the pillars; some of us moved forward, while others drew back. After the prayer, Anas said: “We used to avoid this [the pillars breaking the ranks] during the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).” [434]
EXPLANATION
Some scholars dislike forming rows between pillars because they break the ranks. Ahmad bin Hanbal holds this view.
Abu Hanifa, Shafi’i, and Malik (may Allah be pleased with them) have permitted forming rows between pillars, citing that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed between two pillars at the Ka‘bah. (Avn al-Mahbud, vol. 2, p. 370, Hadith No. 659).