Is it permissible for some worshippers in the front row to reserve a spot for their acquaintances or friends for congregational prayer, while we, the visitors—especially those coming from outside Iraq—arrive long before prayer time and cannot find a place in the front row, particularly in the shrine of Imam Hussein?
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1 Answer
Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.
Ayatollah Khamenei (may God protect him):
Any place where it is permissible to pray, except for that which is unlawfully taken, is valid. Regarding the right of precedence, if a person arrives at a place in the mosque or elsewhere for prayer—such as—and does not abandon it, it is considered more cautious. However, this does not include someone reserving a place for another.
Source:
Tahrir al-Wasilah, Prayer, Conditions of Prayer, Place, M 1
Ayatollah Sistani (may God protect him):
If someone arrives at a place in the mosque for prayer or for other permissible purposes such as supplication, reading the Quran, or teaching, it is not permissible for others to remove them from that place or to remove their belongings, regardless of whether the purpose of the previous person aligns with that of the one who arrives later. Therefore, what is mentioned in the question is not permissible, as the one who has precedence refers to the same person, not someone reserving a place for others.
In any case, if a person removes someone who has the right of precedence from a place in the mosque or removes their belongings, and then prays there or engages in other actions, their prayer is valid, and their actions are permissible, even if they are sinful for the removal.
Source: Minhaj al-Salihin, Vol. 1, Conditions of the Prayer Place, M 539
May you be successful in all good.