Salah in Congregation by Said bin Yunus
A congregation makes salah while standing in rows. The rows need to be as straight as possible with each beloved lined up shoulder to shoulder, foot to foot with those on both their left and right. Before the prayer starts, it is a good idea for everyone to look right and left and adjust their positions to help straighten the line. The one leading the prayer should also turn to check that the lines are straight and that there are no gaps between worshippers. Let your shoulders be in contact; not just lightly, but firmly touching the shoulders of your beloveds. When we pray, we are one body, one heart, one soul; the community of Muhammad, may Allah’s prayer and peace be with him always, and his people. Fill one row completely to the extent that space allows, then form additional rows as needed. A front row must not have fewer beloveds than rows behind.
Men and women stand in rows separated by space. This usually means men standing in front of women, but not necessarily; at the Ka’bah in Mecca, women make their prayers in an area enclosed by men on three sides!
Leading Salah and Special Situations
The imam, the beloved who leads the salah, should have a good station and be most knowledgeable of the congregation in fiqh (jurisprudence; practical understanding of the Shari’ah law) and Qur’an. A community may elect an imam of their number or the position may be shared by any qualified beloveds. One who serves as imam has an obligation to continue to walk, to memorize Qur’an, to learn fiqh and all the religious sciences. He stands as the khalifah or representative of the Prophet, peace be with him, filling the place the Prophet took in prayer. By his remembrance (dhikr) and scrupulousness (wara), the imam is responsible for covering any mistakes and lapses of attention of the beloveds he leads in prayer.
If the imam makes a mistake in the usul of the prayer, the pillars or fundamentals, the community must alert him. Men do so by calling “Subhana-llah!” Women do so by two sharp claps of the hand. The pillars of the prayer are the postures and the order they follow; reciting Fatihah and some Qur’an; beginning the prayer with the takbir al-ihram and hands raised; ending the prayer with the greeting of peace; and observing the correct number of rak’ah for each fard prayer. For example, if the imam neglected to call out “Sami’a-llahu li-man hamidah” as he leads the congregation in standing up from the bow, this would not be missing a pillar, but if he stood for a fourth rak’ah in the prayer of sunset, this would be a real mistake. When an iman realizes his mistake, he corrects it immediately if he has not already moved on in the prayer. At the final kneeling of the prayer, after making the first greeting of peace (to the right), the imam calls takbir and prostrates twice more. This is the prostration in recognition of error. If you are praying by yourself and realize you have missed a pillar, you should make this prostration yourself.
A woman may lead a group of women and children in salah. A man may lead a group of men or men and women. When a woman leads, she stands in the center of the front row with her shoulders even with those on her right and left. When a man leads a group of two or more besides himself, he stands in front of the first row. If a man leads one other man in prayer, he stands to the left and slightly ahead (a foot length or less). If two men are in salah and a third person joins them, the imam leaves the row to fill the Prophet’s space before the first row. The two men behind may move back. In mosques, both movements often happen at the same time when two are joined by a third.
When you wish to join a prayer that has already begun, jump in immediately. Do not miss your chance; the blessings of prayer in congregation are many. Join the last row on the left end, raise your hands for the takbir al-ihram to initiate your sacred time and space for your own prayer, and immediately move to whatever position the congregation has reached. That is, if they are bowing, join the line, raise your hands for takbir al-ihram, then bow. Pray along with the people for the rest of the prayer. Take not of how many rak’ah the congregatioin makes, and when the imam calls “peace” to his right side, stand and complete your prayer. If you pray three rak’ah with the people and it is the time of the ‘Asr prayer, stand up for your fourth. The bow is the central point of one rak’ah; count the number of rak’ah you pray with the people by the number of times you bow.
All fard or prescribed prayers should be made in congregation whenever possible; the Messenger of Allah said the prayer in congregation has twenty-seven degrees of excellence over the solitary prayer. The light of every person in the prayer benefits every other person there. The prayer binds the community into one body, one heart, and one soul.