Question :
What is the ruling on praying in a row that contains a pillar which creates a gap in the row and if you see that there are people praying in that row with the pillar should I make a new row and not join them and complete the row
Answer :
The Shaykh hafidahullah said that it has come in Nasa’i or Tirmithi rather that the Sahabah they said we used to be chased away from the pillars meaning that this was a command from the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam that they do not pray in the pillars rather they pray behind them or in front of them so the pillars do not cut up the rows and Hafidh Ibn Hajr has kalam speaking on this affair in a sharh of Bukhari. However the Shaykh said that if there is a need for this in circumstances of the masjid being over full or on a Jumua’h or the masjid is small and it cannot hold the people praying except by having the people pray in between the pillars then there is nothing wrong with this in the case of daroorah (dire need).
Answered by : Shaykh Abu Ishaaq Al Qaisee