If two people are praying together, how should the THIRD person join the congregation?

by Asma bint Shameem

ANSWER

If there are two men praying in jama’ah and a third person wants to join them, then the one who is praying next to the imaam should move back.

🍃 Jaabir radhi Allaahu anhu said:

“The Messenger of Allaah ﷺ stood up to pray, and I came and stood on his left.

He took my hand and turned me around until I was standing on his right. Then Jabbaar ibn Sakhr came and stood on the left of the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ.

He took both our hands and pushed us back until we were standing behind him.”

(Saheeh Muslim 3010)

🔺If there’s no space to move back, then the Imaam should move forward.

🔺If there’s no space to move forward OR backward then no one should move and the third person can stand NEXT to the imaam on his LEFT side.

🍃 The scholars of the Permanent Committee said

“If the follower is one person, he should stand to the right of the imaam, because of the hadith of Ibn Abbaas radhi Allaahu anhu which was narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim, in which he said:

“I stayed overnight with my maternal aunt Maymunah. The Prophet ﷺ stood up to pray at night, so I got up and stood to his left, but he took hold of my braid  and brought me round to stand on his right. Saheeh – agreed upon.

This applies if there is no one on the right of the imaam, as mentioned in the hadeeth of Ibn Abbaas.

But if someone is (already) standing on his right, then there is nothing wrong with the second person standing to the LEFT of the imaam, and the prayer of all of them is valid, but the Sunnah is for them to form a row behind him, if there is space to do that, because the Prophet ﷺ instructed Jabir and Jabbar, when they stood to his right and his left, to pray behind him.”

(Fatawa al-Lajnah ad-Da’imah, 8/20).

🔺If the third person comes in when the two people are sitting in Tashahhud or are in sujood, then he should WAIT until they stand up and then join the congregation.

🍃 Imaam al-Nawawi said:

“If there is an imaam and two people praying behind him, the imaam should come forward and they should stand behind him, whether they are two men or two boys or a man and a boy.

Then if there is space in front of the imaam and not behind the two people praying behind him, he should move forward or they should move back.

As to which is preferable, there are two opinions.

The correct view is that stated by Shaykh Abu Haamid and the majority, which is that they should move back because the imaam is to be followed and should not move.

… this is if the second person joins the prayer during the qiyaam (standing).

But if he comes during the tashahhud or sujood, nobody should move forward or move back until they stand up again.

There is no dispute that this moving forward or back should not occur until after the second person has said the takbeer for starting the prayer, as they mentioned. And Allaah knows best.”

(al-Majmoo’, 4/292)

And Allaah knows best.