Lesser Known Rulings about Joining the Shoulders and Feet

What amount of space should someone praying keep open between his [own] feet? And what is the Sunnah regarding how [people] should join up with one another in rows for prayer?

Shaikh Al-Albānī: What amount of space should someone praying keep open between his [own] feet? There is no specific Sunnah in this question. A Muslim, if he prays alone or as an imam, should stand in a way that is comfortable for him, whether he leaves a five-finger gap between his feet—as some schools of thought say without any evidence—or more than that, or less.¹ The important thing is that he stands in a way that does not put him into difficulties.

However, as I mentioned, this [only] applies when he is praying alone or as an imam. As for if he were praying in a [congregational] row, then there’s no option for him but to stand in a particular way that will require some effort on his part: There must be enough space between [his own] feet such that his right foot touches the left foot of his neighbor, and his left foot touches the right foot of his other neighbor. [In this way] the row becomes as He, High above all, says [what in English means]: “like a solid structure.”

The way that they line up in rows today, men, not to mention women…. Women are as far as can be from forming a solid structure in [their] rows. Men are better, but only by a little bit.

So making the rows straight and keeping the feet and shoulders attached to one another is one of the obligations of prayer, as the Prophet ﷺ said: “Straighten your rows, for indeed, straightening the rows is….” In one narration, he [completed]: “part of establishing the prayer”; and in another: “part of completing the prayer.”

So a prayer in which the rows are not properly made straight is deficient, based on this ḥadīth. Because of that, it’s obligatory [upon those praying in congregation] to join [their] feet together, and this [joining] requires a gap be made [between one’s feet] that varies from one person to another. For example, a heavier person will need to leave a larger gap between his feet than a thinner person, whose gap should be proportionate to how thin he is.

And, given [we have] this opportunity, it should be noted by men, not to mention women, that the gap we make between our [our own] feet must not be exaggerated to the point that when we try to spread our feet to have them join with others, we [end up] leaving a gap between the shoulders. That ends up being as the colloquial saying goes: “We wanted to put kohl in her eyes [to make her look better], but we ended up blinding her instead.”

This is because both the feet and the shoulders must be in contact [with one’s neighbors]—shoulder to shoulder and foot to foot.

So I, for example, when I spread my feet apart and go too far in spreading them, as so, no matter how much this [person next to me] tries to join his shoulder and feet with me, there will still remain a space, [between our shoulders]. But when I stand naturally and just focus a bit on joining up completely [with my neighbors], and I make my shoulder touch my neighbors’ shoulders [on both sides of me], and likewise my feet, [no gaps are left between either the shoulders or the feet].

This excessive spreading out of one’s legs is something some of our Salafi brothers do out of both eagerness and ignorance—eagerness from them to make sure that feet touch feet; he moves his foot slightly, like this, but the other person—who is neither upon the way of the Salaf nor upon the Sunnah—as soon as he feels his neighbor’s foot touching his own, moves away, fleeing from him, [so to speak].

So what does our friend do? He makes another move, to the point that he might spread his own feet further apart. Why? In order to reach [his neighbor’s foot with his own].

My brother, are you trying to “compel people into becoming believers”?² Just do what’s on you. As soon you move your foot slightly [to your neighbor’s] and feel him pulling away, understand that he is not following the Sunnah, so leave him be.

[But] then don’t let the gap be wide between you and him, not even at the shoulders.

This etiquette is something Salafis, both men and women, must pay attention to—making feet stick to feet and shoulders to shoulders, not just making our feet touch while we leave a gap between our shoulders.

No, [rather], were we to take up the matter according to what makes sense, having the shoulders touch one another is better than having the feet touch at the expense of having a gap remaining between the shoulders.

Meaning, we [now] have a number of possible cases [from best to worst]. The perfect case is when feet are in contact with feet and shoulders with shoulders.

We have a second case: when shoulders touch shoulders without feet touching one another. That’s the second case.

The third case is feet in contact with feet while there are gaps between the shoulders. This comes in as third in level [of preference].

And the final, [lowest] level, the fourth and final, is having gaps between both feet and shoulders, meaning this row is not like a solid structure.

So this is the answer, [in brief], regarding how much one should spread out between one’s own feet: if one is praying alone or as an imam, there is no fixed Sunnah [that he must follow regarding how far apart his own feet should be from one another]. As for if he were praying in a congregational row, then shoulders must touch shoulders and feet touch feet.

Source: Sharḥ Kitāb Al-Adab Al-Mufrad, tape no. 1.