Is it permissible, and required, to keep the feet and shoulders touching in the prayer row

Answer

According to the four Sunni schools of jurisprudence, it is not recommended to join the ankles, shoulders, toes, or feet during the prayer. The controversy arises from a narration in Sunan Abi Dawud, reported by Nu'man ibn Bashir, that the Prophet instructed the Companions to straighten the rows, whereupon they emphatically did so, standing shoulder to shoulder, ankle to ankle, foot to foot. Some moderns interpret this literally as an instruction to physically join these parts of the body during the prayer, but this is not commonly found in narrations describing the prayer, nor was it the Companions' reported practice after the Prophet's passing. Al-Khattabi, the earliest commentator on Sunan Abi Dawud, held this describes the formation of the lines *before* the prayer begins -- once straightness is established, people disconnect and complete the prayer normally. Others, including Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani, Badr al-'Ayni, and al-Nawawi, interpret Nu'man's description as an emphatic metaphor for straightness -- the lines were made so straight it was *as though* joined ankle to ankle -- rather than a literal instruction. Still others read it as simply describing the Companions' initial enthusiastic reaction the moment the instruction was first given, before its precise meaning was clarified. In any case, the masjid should remain a place of community, unity, and brotherhood; where some genuinely believe joining is what should be done, differences like this are best discussed calmly and in a spirit that fosters brotherhood, not division.