English
Ali ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: When the Prophet (ﷺ) gave a sermon, his companions would face him with their faces. Ibn Battal mentioned this in the explanation of Al-Bukhari. However, the practice now is for people to face the Qiblah to avoid difficulty in straightening the rows due to the large number of people. This is mentioned in the explanation of Al-Hidaya by Al-Surugi. Al-‘Ayni said that Ibn Al-Mundhir said this practice (facing the Imam) is like an ijma’ (consensus).