So if you say to him: "This is an innovation. It was not done by the Prophet ﷺ, his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) or the Tābiʿīn who followed them

He will reply: "The reason did not exist during their time. And even if it did exist, it was rare and uncommon, unlike today, where whispers and doubts have become widespread, and many people have little khushūʿ and presence of heart in their acts of worship—except those whom Allah has shown mercy to and protected from the plots of Shayṭān. Therefore, this means has become necessary to eliminate the problem of whispers and to protect acts of worship from deficiencies." So you, who have opened the door to endless objections, will find it difficult to convince someone like this. In fact, you may eventually become unable to respond and be defeated by his argument, and you will be forced into false conclusions. You will remain constantly defending your position day and night, and you may not be able to refute every argument. How much easier it is to hold firmly to the guidance of the Prophet ﷺ, outwardly and inwardly. And Allah is the One whose help is sought. As a point of clarification: the correct comparison for the lines is to compare them with the prayer beads (subḥah) used for counting adhkār. Whoever says that drawing lines is legislated must also say that using prayer beads is legislated, because the reason for them existed during the earliest generations, the means were possible for them, and they were easy to obtain. Yet they were not used, nor were they legislated. Therefore, this is the correct comparison for the lines. This is one of the objections that arise against those who permit them. ✅ For: Then what is the solution? How do we straighten the rows when they are so long and it is difficult to move between people in order to straighten them?" ❌ Against: We straighten the rows in the same way that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, his noble Companions, the Tābiʿīn, and the early generations of this Ummah used to straighten them. The worshippers should cooperate with the imam in doing so. The imam should look at the rows and the worshippers and say: "Stand straight," "Straighten your rows," "Join your rows together," "Heel to heel," "Shoulder to shoulder," and other similar expressions that are authentically reported from the Prophet ﷺ. Everyone should seek the reward of this from Allah, and the reward is according to the effort and hardship involved. As for what some people say: "Heel to heel, stand opposite each other," and what Ibn ʿUthaymīn رحمه الله also mentioned: "Stand straight," and similar expressions, these are not mentioned in the Sharīʿah, and they are also not correct in meaning. Note: Straightening the rows, correcting them, and giving attention to them are among the duties of the imam. The worshippers should cooperate with him in this, as mentioned previously. Imām Ibn Daqīq al-ʿĪd rahimahullah said: "The hadith contains evidence that straightening the rows is the responsibility of the imam. Some of the early imams would appoint someone to straighten the rows of the people." [End of quote from Iḥkām al-Aḥkām, 1/219] Imām Ibn al-Mulaqqin rahimahullah said: "The imam should regularly ensure that the rows of the people are straight, and the people should ensure this themselves." End of quote from At-Tawḍīḥ li Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 6/593] ✅ For: How can you say that the lines are an innovation when major scholars have issued verdicts allowing them? Are you declaring these great scholars, who are among the imams of the Muslims, to be people of innovation? ❌ Against: You have little insight and limited understanding, may Allah rectify you. Does everyone who commits an innovation become an innovator? Pay attention to the answer: Firstly: These scholars are scholars of independent reasoning (ijtihād), and their scholarly reasoning led them to the view that drawing lines is legislated. If they are correct, then they receive two rewards: the reward for their effort in making ijtihād and the reward for reaching the correct conclusion. If they are mistaken, then they still receive the reward for their effort in making ijtihād, and they are not unsuccessful in either case. Secondly: Remember this principle: "Not everyone who falls into an innovation has the innovation applied to him." This is a very beneficial principle that will help you in many situations and resolve many difficulties for you. A person who falls into an innovation is not automatically judged by the ruling of that innovation until the conditions are fulfilled and the barriers preventing that ruling are removed. Thirdly: Are there not scholars and imams who prohibited it? They are the majority. In fact, some went further and stated that it is an innovation. Footnote: I say: This is based on what I have come across from the statements of the scholars, especially the scholars of our time, as will be mentioned in the appendix. One of the two opinions must be correct and the other must be incorrect, because the truth is one and cannot be multiple. It is not possible to combine both opinions because they contradict each other. So, what is the justification for allowing opposition to those who prohibit it, while forbidding opposition to those who permit it? Is this not imposing personal preference upon the religion of Allah? Footnote: Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah rahimahullah said regarding some people's use of the argument that introducing new festivals and occasions is permissible because some people of knowledge and virtue did so and practised them: "If people who possessed virtue and religious commitment did this, then during their time there were others who abandoned it, believing that it was disliked, and people objected to it who, even if they were not better than those who did it, were not beneath them either. Even if they were less virtuous than those who did it, the matter was disputed among those in authority, so it should be referred back to Allah and the Messenger and to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger—along with those who disliked it, not with those who permitted it. Furthermore, the majority of the early generations, who are better than those who came later, were with those who disliked it." [End of quote from Iqtiḍāʾ as-Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqīm, 2/116–118] Fourth: The truth is known through its evidence, not through the status of individuals. There is no scholar who is protected from making mistakes, nor does anyone possess a guarantee that they will never err or slip. Rather, every person is capable of being correct or mistaken. So, when scholars or people differ over an issue, where should people return and refer to in their disagreement? The answer is clear in the Book of Allah. Allah the Most High said: "O you who believe, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. Then, if you differ over anything, refer it back to Allah and the Messenger, if you truly believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination." [Sūrah al-Nisāʾ: 59] Allah the Most High says: "And in whatever matter you differ, its judgment is with Allah. That is Allah, my Lord; upon Him I have relied, and to Him I turn in repentance." [Surah Ash-Shūrā: 10] So if we refer our disagreement regarding this issue back to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, we will find that the truth is with those who prohibit it, due to the evidences and proofs that have already been mentioned to you. This is because Allah the Most High says: "Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it; and whatever he forbids you from, refrain from it. And fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is severe in punishment." [Surah Al-Hashr: 7] What the Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave us was to leave off the lines. So, should what was sufficient for him ﷺ, his Companions, and the noble early generations — may Allah be pleased with them — not be sufficient for us?