Fatwa ID: 05696
Answered by: Maulana Syed Johir Miah
Question:
Is the following considered غلوا في الدين
For the Imam to turn towards the congregation before every salah and remind them to fill in the gaps, stand shoulder to shoulder, request them to place their heels on a marked line so no one is out of line, and ask for brothers to shift here and there should there be a need.
Once rows are straightened salah commences.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Sayyiduna Abdullah Bin Abbas( رضى الله عنهما )narrated
قالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: غَداةَ العَقَبَةِ وهُوَ عَلى ناقَتِهِ «القُطْ لِي حَصًى» فَلَقَطْتُ لَهُ سَبْعَ حَصَياتٍ، هُنَّ حَصى الخَذْفِ، فَجَعَلَ يَنْفُضُهُنَّ فِي كَفِّهِ ويَقُولُ «أمْثالَ هَؤُلاءِ، فارْمُوا» ثُمَّ قالَ: «يا أيُّها النّاسُ إيّاكُمْ والغُلُوَّ فِي الدِّينِ، فَإنَّهُ أهْلَكَ مَن كانَ قَبْلَكُمُ الغُلُوُّ فِي الدِّينِ»
“On the morning of Aqabah, when he(صلى الله عليه وسلم) was atop his she-camel, the Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم)of Allah (عز و جل)said: Pick up some pebbles for me. So I picked up seven pebbles for him, suitable for Khadhf.He(صلى الله عليه وسلم) began to toss them in his hand, saying: Throw something like these. Then he said: O people, beware of exaggeration in religious matters for those who came before you were doomed because of exaggeration in religious matters.[1]
Allah (سبحانه و تعالى)says in the Quran
يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لَا تَغْلُوا فِي دِينِكُمْ وَلَا تَقُولُوا عَلَى اللَّهِ إِلَّا الْحَقَّ ۚ
O people of the Book, be not excessive in your Faith and do not say about Allah anything but the truth. ( Surah Nisa, Verse 171)
الغُلُوُّ فِراقُ الحَقِّ، وكانَ مِمّا غَلَوْا فِيهِ أنْ دَعَوْا لِلَّهِ صاحِبَةً ووَلَدًا
Exaggeration (Ghuloo)is the separation of the truth, and one of the things they went to extremes about was that they supplicated to God a wife and a son.[2]
الغلو: تعدِي الحق.Exaggeration is transgressing the truth.[3]
والغُلُوُّ والتَّقْصِيرُ كُلُّ واحِدٍ مِنهُما مَذْمُومٌ فِي الدِّينِ
Exaggeration (Ghuloo) and dereliction, each of them is blameworthy in religion.[4]
الغلو: مُجاوزَة الحَد، وهُوَ مَذْمُوم، وكَذَلِكَ التَّقْصِير، ودين الله بَين الغلووالتَّقْصِير
Exaggeration is exceeding the limit, which is reprehensible, as well as negligence, and religion of Allah (عز و جل) is between exaggeration and dereliction.[5]
والغلو: هو المجاوزة عن الحد الذي حد، والإفراط فيه والتعمق
Al-Ghuloo: It is going beyond the limit, exaggerating it and going deep.[6]
والغُلُوُّ فِي الدِّينِ هُوَ مُجاوَزَةُ حَدِّ الحَقِّ فِيهِGhuloo: transgressing the truth.[7]
With regards to straightening the lines before Salah, Sayyiduna Numan Bin Bashir ( رضى الله عنه ) narrates that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) came forward to the people and said
أقِيمُوا صُفُوفَكُمْ، ثَلاثًا، واللهِ لَتُقِيمُنَّ صُفُوفَكُمْ أوْ لَيُخالِفَنَّ اللهُ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ
“Straighten your rows (thrice). For by Allah, if you do not straighten your rows, Allah will separate your hearts”.[8]
Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ( رضى الله عنه ) relates that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said; أقِيمُوا صُفُوفَكُمْ، وتَراصُّوا، فَإنِّي أراكُمْ مِن وراءِ ظَهْرِي
“Straighten your rows and keep close together, for indeed I see you from behind my back”.[9]
These Ahadith demonstrate how important it is in salah to close the gaps between two individuals.
Other Ahadith demonstrate that Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) would go and fix the rows himself to ensure the lines are as straight as a spear.
It was narrated that Sayyiduna NumanIbn Basheer ( رضى الله عنه ) said:
كانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يُسَوِّي صُفُوفَنا حَتّى كَأنَّما يُسَوِّي بِها القِداحَ حَتّى رَأى أنّا قَدْ عَقَلْنا عَنْهُ، ثُمَّ خَرَجَ يَوْمًا فَقامَ، حَتّى كادَ يُكَبِّرُ فَرَأى رَجُلًا بادِيًا صَدْرُهُ مِنَ الصَّفِّ، فَقالَ: «عِبادَ اللهِ لَتُسَوُّنَّ صُفُوفَكُمْ، أوْ لَيُخالِفَنَّ اللهُ بَيْنَ وُجُوهِكُمْ
The Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم)of Allah (سبحانه و تعالى)used to straighten our rows as if he (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was straightening the shaft of an arrow until he(صلى الله عليه وسلم) saw that we had learned it. Then he (صلى الله عليه وسلم) came out one day and was about to say the takbeer, when he (صلى الله عليه وسلم) noticed a man whose chest was sticking out from the row. He (صلى الله عليه وسلم)said: “Slaves of Allah! Make your rows straight or Allah will cause discord among you”.[10]
In the aforementioned case, all these actions carried out by your honourable Imam is in line with the Sunnah of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم)and therefore is not deemed as غلوافي الدينas it is the duty of the Imam to ensure the lines are straight, the front lines are full and there is no gap between individuals during the congregational Salah.
Only Allah knows best.
Written by Maulana Syed Johir Miah
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
[1] Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 3029, 1008/2, Dar Ar-Risalatil Alamiyyah, 1430 H.
[2]Tafseer Ibn Abi Hatim, (Al-Aseel), 1122/4, Maktabah Nizar, Saudi Arabia, 1419 H.
[3]Tafseer Quran Aziz, Ibn Abi Zamanain, 425/1, Al-Farooqul Haditha, Cairo, Egypt, 1423 H.
[4]Tafseer Baghawi, (Tayyibah), 83/3, Dar Tayyibah, 1417 H.
[5]Tafseer Samani, 52/2, Darul Watan, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 1418 H.
[6]Tafseer Maturidi, 569/3, Darul Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, 1426 H.
[7]Ahkamul Quran, Jassas, 366/2, Darul Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, 1415 H.
[8]Imam Baihaqi, Sunanul Kubra, Hadeeth number 5183, 143/3,Darul Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut,Lebanon, third edition 2003.
[9] Sahih Bukhari, Hadith number 719, 145/1, Dar Tuqin Najah, First edition 2001.
[10]Sahih Muslim, Hadith 436, 324/1, Dar Ihyat Turath, Beirut, Lebanon. 1412 H.
