with God for doing so, this man’s prayer is valid. He has been mindful of God to the best of his ability, and in this situation he is able to do no more. If he can do something we have mentioned but does not do it, his prayer is invalid. The Prophet, peace be upon him, commanded someone who had prayed alone behind the row to repeat the prayer, as related in the hadith of Wābiṣa ibn Maʿbad.
Its Inward Application to the Self
Acts that bring one near to God can be known only from God. Reason has no authority in this in any respect. When the Lawgiver prescribes such acts, they have the scope He prescribes. When He excludes an act as a means of nearness, reason cannot make it a means of nearness.
Let us return to our question. Someone who prays alone behind the row despite having the ability we have described may be qualified to exercise independent reasoning and judge the act permissible and his prayer valid on that basis, or he may do so without independent reasoning. If his judgment is based on independent reasoning, his prayer is valid. If he has not exercised independent reasoning himself but follows a qualified jurist on the matter after asking him, his prayer is valid. If he does it without independent reasoning and without asking, his prayer is invalid. The same applies to all prescribed acts of nearness.
(The Human Subtle Reality and the Congregation of Bodily Members)
Just as the imam’s prayer is valid when he stands before the congregation outside any row, so too is the prayer of someone alone behind the row.
