Is it permissible for the Imam to stand between pillars during prayer?
Chapter on Imamate and Congregational Prayer
Al-Mughni
Book of Prayer
Primary text
It is not disliked for the Imam to stand between pillars. However, it is disliked for the followers to stand between pillars because the pillars disrupt the straightness of their rows. This practice was disliked by Ibn Masud, Al-Nakha'i, and is reported from Hudhayfah and Ibn Abbas.
Supporting text
Ibn Sirin, Malik, the Ashab al-Ra'y (People of Opinion), and Ibn al-Mundhir permitted it because there is no definitive text prohibiting it. The evidence against it is the narration from Mu'awiyah ibn Qurrah, from his father, stating that they were forbidden and strongly driven away from standing between pillars during the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), narrated by Ibn Majah. If the row is small, confined only to the space between two pillars, it is not disliked as the row is not considered broken.