Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

I dont know english so writing in URDU
main FAJAR ki namaz kay liyay masjid gaya to Jamaat ho rahi thi. pehli saff (Lane) mukammal thi iss liyay main doosri saff main khara ho kar namaaz adaa karnay lag gaya, kiyounkay pehli saff main jagaa naheen thi. jab Imaam sahib nay salaam phera too sub loog mujhay kehnay lagay keh aap ki namaaz jamaat kay saath nahee huwi. kiyounkay main akaila hi doosri saff main khara thaa.
please mujhay bataeen keh kiya aakhri saff main (agli safoon main jagaa nah honay par) akaila aadmi baajamaat namaaz ada nahee kar sakta? kiya uss ki namaz huwi ya naheen? 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Praying alone in row congregation

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Wabsah relates that the Messenger of Allah (saws) saw a man praying behind the rows by himself and the Prophet (saws) ordered him to repeat his salah.

Related by Bukhari and Muslim.

The scholars are of the opinion that if there is absolutely no place in the rows and one stands alone immediately behind the rows with the intention that someone will join him in the new row and offers his prayers in congregation, regardless of whether someone joins him or not, their prayer is valid and there is no harm.

The above quoted hadith whereby the Messenger of Allah (saws) ordered the person to repeat his prayer, in the opinion of the majority of the scholars and jurists, is because the person was praying with the congregation but was standing alone quite a distance behind and away from the congregation. And Allah Alone Knows Best.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan