Narrated 'Aishah (RA) regarding Allah's Messenger ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) leading the people in Salat (prayer) during his illness. She said, "He came and sat on the left side of Abu Bakr (RA). So he ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) was leading the people in prayer while sitting and Abu Bakr standing. Abu Bakr was following the prayer of the Prophet ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ), and the people were following the prayer of Abu Bakr." [Agreed upon] .

Narrated Abu Hurairah (RA): The Prophet ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) said: "When one of you leads the people in prayer he should be brief, for among them are the young and the old, the weak and those who have needs to attend to. But if he prays by himself he may pray as he wishes." [Agreed upon] .

Narrated 'Amr bin Salimah (RA): My father said, "I have come from the true Prophet ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ), so when the time of Salat (prayer) comes one of you should announce the Adhan and the one of you who knows the Qur'an most should be your Imam." He ('Amr) said: "They looked around and there was no one who knew the Qur'an more than I. So they put me forward in front of them and I was only six or seven years old." [Reported by al-Bukhari, Abu Dawud and an-Nasa'i] .

Narrated Ibn Mas'ud (RA): Allah's Messenger ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) said: "The one who knows [by recitation and memorization] the Book of Allah most should be the Imam of the people. If they are equal in the recitation, then the one who knows the Sunnah most and if they are equal in the Sunnah then the earliest of them to emigrate (to al-Madinah) and if they are equal in the emigration then the oldest among them in Islam. In another narration it has "agewise". And no man should lead another in prayer in his domain or sit in his place of honor without his permission." [Reported by Muslim] .

Ibn Majah reported the following from Jabir's narration, "A woman is never to lead a man in prayer, neither a bedouin (desert Arab) to lead an emigrant, nor a sinner to lead a believer." [Its chain of narrators is Wahin (extremely weak)] .

Narrated Anas (RA): Allah's Messenger ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) said: "Stand close together in your rows, bring them (the rows) near one another, and stand neck to neck (in straight lines)." [Reported by Abu Dawud and an-Nasa'i. And Ibn Hibban graded it Sahih (authentic)] .

Narrated Abu Hurairah (RA): Allah's Messenger ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) said: "The best of the men's rows is the first and the worst is the last; and the best of the women's rows is the last and the worst is the first." [Reported by Muslim] .

Narrated Ibn 'Abbas (RA): "I prayed (the night Tahajjud prayer) with Allah's Messenger ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) one night and I stood on his left side, whereupon he took me by the back of my head and made me go round to his right side. [Agreed upon] .

Narrated Anas (RA): Allah's Messenger ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) prayed and an orphan and I prayed behind him and Umm Sulaim (RA) was behind us. [Agreed upon and the wording is al-Bukhari's] .

Narrated Abu Bakrah (RA): He reached the Prophet ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) while he was bowing, so he (Abu Bakrah) bowed before reaching the row. He mentioned that to the Prophet ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) and the Prophet ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) said to him, "May Allah increase your eagerness! But do not repeat." [Reported by al-Bukhari] . And Abu Dawud added: "He bowed before reaching the row then walked and joined the row."