Was My Prayer in Congregation Valid?

Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi

Question

I’m taking Imam Mawsili’s Mukhtar course right now and it was mentioned that if three people are praying in a congregation, they’d stand behind the Imam, but not directly behind. Previously we prayed with two people standing behind the Imam. Do I have to repeat my prayer, or was it valid?

Answer

What you did previously which was to pray while having two people stand behind the Imam, was correct and your prayers were valid. [Shurunbulali, Nur al-Idah]

The proper way to pray in congregation when there are two men in addition to the Imam is for the two men to pray behind the Imam. One of the followers should be exactly behind the Imam, completely facing his back. The other follower should be at the right of the follower who is strictly behind the Imam. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

It has been narrated, for example, that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) was joined by a second follower after having started the prayer with one follower who was standing next to him. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) placed both of them behind him as soon as they joined. [Muslim]

And Allah knows best.

[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Sufyan Qufi is an advanced seeker of knowledge, originally from Algeria, who grew up in France. He began searching far and wide for answers to the fundamental questions of life and was disappointed at the answers he found.

Then he connected with various traditional teachers and gradually connected with SeekersGuidance. He embarked on his journey of learning through the various teachers at SeekersGuidance, including his mentor Shaykh Faraz Rabbani.

He studied numerous texts in Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith, and other areas with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and other teachers, including Shaykh Abdurrahman al-Sha’ar, Shaykh Ali Hani, and others.

He is an active instructor at SeekersGuidance and answers questions through the SeekersGuidance Answers Service.