Al-Hajj Al-Mabroor

The pilgrims must be cautioned that in case the Masjid is
humming with the prayers and you offered Prayer outside the
Masjid you will win the same reward, as long as the rows are
conjoined. But with end of the prayers ends the Masjid-like aura of
the road.
We have to warn against the habit of reserving places inside Al-
Masjidul-Haram. Some prayers from the people living in Mecca or
other parts reserve places in the first rows. Such places are not
rightful to them, because places in the first row belong to the first
comers to the Masjid. Generally, the proprieties of the Masjid
dictate that each sits beside or behind the first to come. When the
first row is completed follows the second, the third, and then the
fourth in a way that allows each comer to get the place appropriate
for him.
The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) forbade reserving places in the Masjid, because it is an
attempt to be distinctive in the Divine Presence where all are even.
The only reserved place is that of the Imam, for whom a way is
made to be able to lead the people in the Congregational Prayers,
without crossing over the heads or harming others.
Another thing is the adjusted alignment of rows in the Ka‘bah. The
area close to the Ka‘bah approximates the shape of a sphere; when
the rows extend and Prayers are offered in the corridors, under the
pillars and edifices we find that the praying rugs determine the
assumed standing position of the prayers. The rugs themselves
circle the Ka‘bah, but in the corridors and passageways we find no
rugs.
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