Sunan Ibn Majah 1001
سنن ابن ماجه#1001Sahihحَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ، عَنْ سُفْيَانَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَقِيلٍ، عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " خَيْرُ صُفُوفِ الرِّجَالِ مُقَدَّمُهَا، وَشَرُّهَا مُؤَخَّرُهَا، وَخَيْرُ صُفُوفِ النِّسَاءِ مُؤَخَّرُهَا، وَشَرُّهَا مُقَدَّمُهَا " .
It was narrated that Jabir bin ‘Abdullah said:“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘The best rows for men are the front rows and the worst rows are the back rows, and the best rows for women are the back rows and the worst are the front rows.’”
Scholarly Authentication
The label above is the grade most of these scholars gave — one dissenting opinion no longer speaks for all of them. If any scholar calls a narration fabricated, that verdict is shown instead, whatever the others say. Each scholar's own wording:
In-book reference: 5:199