Tirmidhi

Commentary:
Note:
(In the chain of narration, Ash'ath bin Sa'id al-Saman is a narrator about whom there is criticism. Some scholars have even made very severe criticisms, and have declared him unreliable (ghayr thiqah), a narrator of rejected (munkar) hadith, even abandoned (matruk al-hadith). However, Imam Bukhari says that he is neither abandoned nor is he considered a memorizer of hadith (hafiz al-hadith) among the hadith scholars (muhaddithin). Abu Ahmad al-Hakim says: "Laysa bil-qawiyyi 'indahum" (i.e., Ash'ath is not considered strong among the hadith scholars). Ibn 'Adi says: Some of his narrations are not preserved (ghayr mahfuz), and despite his weakness, his hadith will be written down (Tahdhib al-Kamal 523). In summary, his narrations will be examined and scrutinized in the chapter of supporting and corroborating narrations (shawahid wa mutaba'at); this is what is meant by i'tibar (consideration). And al-Tirmidhi, after commenting on the chain, has written regarding Ash'ath that he has been weakened in hadith. And the fatwa of most scholars is also in accordance with this hadith. On the basis of these supporting narrations, this hadith is hasan (good).)

Explanation:
1:
Wherever you turn, there is the Face of Allah (al-Baqarah: 115), but in any case, this is for a state of necessity. In normal circumstances, and when the direction is known, facing the Ka'bah is a condition for the prayer.

Benefits and Issues:
➊
If, due to clouds or similar reasons, the direction of the qiblah cannot be determined, one should try to ascertain the direction by estimation.
If there is a mistake in this estimation, it is excused.
Because Allah the Exalted has said:
﴿لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّـهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا﴾ ()
“Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity.”
➋
This also indicates that there is no need to repeat the prayer that was performed facing a direction other than the qiblah by mistake.
Imam Tirmidhi rahimahullah has stated:
Most scholars have adopted this position.
He says:
If a person, due to clouds, prays facing a direction other than the qiblah, and after the prayer comes to know that he did not pray facing the qiblah, then his prayer is valid.
This is also the position of Sufyan al-Thawri rahimahullah, Ibn al-Mubarak rahimahullah, Ahmad ibn Hanbal rahimahullah, and Ishaq ibn Rahwayh rahimahullah. (REF_ al-Irwa’, No. 291__)

Lexical Explanation:
«مُظْلِمَةٍ» The “meem” has a dammah and the “laam” is kasrah. It means a dark night.
«فَأَشْكَلْتُ» It became ambiguous.
«تُوَلُّوْا» You will turn.
«فَثَمَّ» The “tha” has a fathah and the “meem” has a shaddah and a fathah. Its meaning is: there.

Benefits and Issues:
➊ Our esteemed researcher has declared the mentioned narration weak in its chain, whereas other scholars have considered it hasan. For details, see: [إرواء الغليل، رقم : 291]. Therefore, from this hadith it is understood that if, due to lack of knowledge, cloudiness, or any other reason, the direction of the qiblah cannot be determined correctly, and a person, after reflection and consideration to the best of his ability, decides and performs the prayer, then if there is a mistake in this estimation, it is excused. Because Allah the Exalted says: «لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا» [البقرة 2 : 286] “Allah does not burden any soul beyond its capacity.”
➋ According to Imam Shafi‘i rahimahullah, repeating the prayer is obligatory in every case, whether before or after the time has passed, because facing the qiblah is obligatory. He also considers this hadith weak.
➌ Imam Tirmidhi rahimahullah has declared this hadith weak on the basis that in its chain of narration, the narrator Ash‘ath ibn Sa‘id has been considered weak. However, Imam Tirmidhi rahimahullah writes regarding this issue in Kitab al-Salat, Bab Ma Ja’a fi al-Rajul Yusalli..., Hadith: 345: “Most scholars have adopted the position that if a person, due to clouds, faces a direction other than the qiblah and performs the prayer, and then after the prayer comes to know that he did not pray facing the qiblah, then his prayer is valid. This is the position of Sufyan al-Thawri, Ibn al-Mubarak, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and Ishaq ibn Rahwayh rahimahumullah.”
➍ If it becomes known during the prayer, then the worshipper should turn towards the qiblah during the prayer itself, just as the people of Quba, upon hearing the news of the change of qiblah, changed their direction during the prayer, and should complete the rest of the prayer facing the correct direction.

Hadith Narrator:
(Sayyiduna ‘Amir ibn Rabi‘ah radi Allahu anhu) was from the tribe of ‘Anz ibn Wa’il. Bakr and Taghlib were sons of Wa’il, and ‘Anz was their brother. He was an early Muslim Companion. He was honored with both the migration to Abyssinia and the migration to Madinah. He displayed valor in the Battle of Badr and all other campaigns. There is a difference of opinion regarding the year of his death: he passed away in either 32, 33, or 35 AH.