(26) باب مَا يَقُولُ الإِمَامُ إِذَا تَقَدَّمَ فِي تَسْوِيَةِ الصُّفُوفِ
It was narrated that Abu Mas'ad Al-Ansari said:
"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to gently pat our shoulders (to make sure the row was straight) at the time of prayer, and he would say: 'Keep (the rows) straight; do not differ from one another lest your hearts should suffer from discord. Let those who are mature and wise stand closest to me, then those who are next to them, then those who are next to them."'
Reference: Sunan an-Nasa'i 812
In-book reference: Book 10, Hadith 36
English translation: Vol. 1, Book 10, Hadith 813