الخامس: عن أبي عبد الله النعمان بن بشير رضي الله عنهما، قال: سمعت
رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول: «لتسون صفوفكم أو ليخالفن الله بين وجوهكم» وفي رواية لمسلم: كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يسوي صفوفنا حتى كأنما يسوي بها القداح، حتى إذا رأى أنا قد عقلنا عنه ثم خرج يوما، فقام حتى كاد أن يكبر، فرأى رجلاً بادياً صدره فقال: «عباد الله لتسون صفوفكم أو ليخالفن الله بين وجوهكم»
Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Straighten your rows (during Salat) or Allah would create dissension amongst you”. In another narration reported by Muslim, An-Numan ibn Bashir (radiyallahu anhum) narrated: Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) used to straighten our rows (in Salat), as if he was straightening an arrow with their help until he saw that we had learnt it from him.
One day he came out, stood up (for Salat) and was about to say: Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest), (marking the beginning of the prayer) when he saw a man, whose chest was bulging out from the row.
He said, “Slaves of Allah, you must straighten your rows or Allah would create dissension amongst you.”