Jami' at-Tirmidhi — Hadith #26385

Qutaibah told us, Abu Awanah told us, on the authority of Samak bin Harb, on the authority of Al-Numan bin Bashir, he said: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, was straightening our ranks. So he went out one day and saw a man turning away from the people, and he said, “You will straighten your rows or God will disobey your faces.” He said, and on the authority of Jabir bin Samurah, Al-Baraa, Jabir bin Abdullah, Anas, Abu Hurairah, and Aisha. Abu Issa said: Hadith Al-Numan bin Bashir is a good and authentic hadith. It was narrated on the authority of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, that he said, “Part of the completion of the prayer is standing in line.” It was narrated on the authority of Omar that he used to appoint men to establish the rows, and he would not say “Allahu Akbar” until he was informed that the rows had been straight. It was narrated on the authority of Ali and Uthman. They used to make a pact and say, “Stay back” and Ali used to say, “Go ahead, oh so-and-so, stay back, oh so-and-so.”