for the Imam in the case of women and the naked. If there is no one on his right, the prayer of the one who stands on his left is invalid, whether it be one person or a group. Most scholars hold the opinion that a single follower should stand on the right of the Imam, and that if he stands on his left, he has violated the Sunnah. It has been narrated from Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib that when he had only one follower with him, he would place him on his left. Malik, al-Shafi'i, and the scholars of opinion (Ashab al-Ra'y) said: If he stands on the left of the Imam, his prayer is valid, because when Ibn Abbas performed the opening takbir to the left of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), the Prophet turned him to his right, and his opening takbir did not become void; if it were not a valid standing place, he would have repeated the opening takbir, just as in the case of standing in front of the Imam. They also argue that it is a valid standing place in the case where there is someone else on the other side, so it is a valid standing place [generally]; if there is no one else, it is like the right side, and because it is one of the sides of the Imam, it resembles the right side. Our evidence is that Ibn Abbas said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stood to pray during the night, so I came and stood on his left, and he took hold of my forelock and turned me to his right. [Agreed upon]. Jabir also narrated, saying: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stood to pray, and I came and stood on his left, so he turned me to his right. Narrated by Abu Dawud. Their argument that:
(8) Omitted from: Al-Asl, A. (9) Reported by al-Bukhari, in: Chapter on talking about knowledge at night, from the Book of Knowledge; in: Chapter on lightening the wudu, from the Book of Wudu; in: Chapter on standing to the right of the Imam... etc., Chapter on if a man stands... etc., Chapter on if the Imam does not intend... etc., Chapter on if a man stands to the left... etc., Chapter on the right side of the mosque and the Imam, and Chapter on the wudu of young boys... etc., from the Book of Adhan; in: Chapter on hair locks (dhu'aba), from the Book of Clothing; and in: Chapter on supplication when one wakes up at night, from the Book of Invocations. Sahih al-Bukhari 1/40, 47, 178, 179, 185, 217, 7/209, 210, 8/86. And Muslim, in: Chapter on supplication during night prayer and its performance, from the Book of Travelers. Sahih Muslim 1/525-531. It was also reported by Abu Dawud, in: Chapter on how two people should stand when one leads the other in prayer, from the Book of Prayer; and in: Chapter on night prayer, from the Book of Voluntary Prayers. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/143, 313. Al-Tirmidhi, in: Chapter on what has come regarding a man praying while he has one person with him, from the chapters on Prayer. Aridat al-Ahwadhi 2/30. Al-Nasa'i, in: Chapter on the command to perform wudu after sleep, from the Book of Purification (Ghusl); and in: Chapter on congregation when there are two, from the Book of Imamate. Al-Mujtaba 1/176, 2/81. Ibn Majah, in: Chapter on 'the two are a congregation', from the Book of Establishing Prayer. Sunan Ibn Majah 1/312. Al-Darimi, in: Chapter on the position of one who prays with the Imam if he is alone, from the Book of Prayer. Sunan al-Darimi 1/286. And Imam Ahmad, in: al-Musnad 1/341, 343, 347. (10) In: Chapter on if the garment is tight and one wears it as an izar, from the Book of Prayer. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/147, 148. Its narration =
