Congregational prayers between individuals that leaves gaps between the followers behind the Imam. A lot of people see these large gaps as being problematic, and claim this nullifies the prayer.

But does this nullify the prayer of the congregants? The answer is: NO, it does not. There are many evidences for this stance:

a. The overwhelming majority of scholars say that straightening and taking care of the gaps (with regards to the ankles and shoulders) is a sunnah; if left out, this would not be a sin, let alone it nullifying the prayer. Only a fringe minority of scholars have said that this is wajib, such as al-Bukhari, Ibn Hazm, Ibn Taymiyyah, and Ibn Muflih. Despite all of them saying that it is wajib, only from among them Ibn Hazm said that if these things are left out, the prayer is invalid. This minority view only has a handful of proponents, and only one of them said that if left out, the prayer is invalid.

b. The Fuqaha clearly mentioned scenarios which indicate that the incompleteness of the lines does not invalidate the prayer. I will only mention one case here, but there are many. For example, Ibn Muflih in al-Furu' mentioned that if a latecomer comes to the prayer and they may either join the second row and catch the Raka'h or enter the first row but * possibly * miss the Raka'h, it is apparently better according to the scholars of the Hanabilah (dhahiru kalamihim) to go to the first row, even if they miss the Raka'h (this is in order to obtain the virtue of the first row). We here have the case of a second row existing despite the first row being incomplete, yet the Fuqaha did not mention that this poses as a problem with reference to the prayer's validity. If this latecomer were to go to the second row, they have only left out that which is optimal. This scenario makes it clear that the prayer is valid, despite there being gaps and breaks in the first row.

c. Having gaps - even large ones - in the lines behind the Imam do not pose a problem.

Sheikh 'Abdullah Aba al-Khayl said:

"Does it count from fudhudhiyyah (praying alone in the row)* that a person pray alone on one corner of an incomplete line [while the others are on the other side], causing the line to be broken? No, because he is not alone in the line; he is still considered to be in the line and this break does not harm [their Salah] despite the recommended Sunnah being that they close the gaps ... Any type of break in the lines behind the Imam does not pose a problem, as long as you are not alone in a row. If you have a single line where one person is on the left corner of the line and another person all the way on the right side [and there is a huge gap in between], this does not pose as a problem [and the prayer] is sound."

But the Sheikh points out that:

"There is one type of break which does nullify the prayer: if a person stands to the left of the Imam from a distance [from the Imam] which exceeds three individuals or more. If from the right side of the Imam in prayer we have some people praying and then later a person arrives and prays on the right at the end of the row, leaving a huge gap between them. This does not harm their prayer .... If on the left of the Imam we have some people praying and then a person joins, leaving a gap of three people or more, then all of those people who join after this gap will have their prayers to be invalid. This is firmly stated in al-Muntaha, and mentioned in al-Iqna'. But if the break is the amount of one individual or two, then the prayer is not invalidated."

*If a person prays alone behind the Imam (with some conditions and clauses), their prayer becomes invalid. This is only so in the Hanbali school. In the other schools, their prayer would be valid, but disliked and/or losing the reward of praying in congregation (from Sheikh Aba al-Khayl).

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