The ruling on facing the Qibla during prayer
➊ The command of Allah Almighty is:
وَحَيْتُ مَا كُنتُمْ فَوَلَّوْا وُجُوهَكُمْ شَطْرَهُ
“Wherever you are, turn your faces towards it (Masjid al-Haram).”
➋ When the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ would stand for prayer, he would face the Qiblah in both obligatory and voluntary prayers and would command the same. He said to Siyy al-Salat:
إذا قمت إلى الصلاة فأسبغ الوضوء ثم استقبل القبلة فكبر
“When you intend to pray, perform complete ablution, then face the Qiblah and say Takbir.”
➌ It is narrated from Hazrat Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) that once people were praying Fajr prayer in Masjid Quba when suddenly a man came and said that the Quran was revealed to the Prophet ﷺ at night:
وقد أمر أن يستقبل الكعبة
“And indeed they were commanded to turn towards the Ka’bah.”
Their faces were towards the west and they turned towards the Ka’bah.
From all these evidences, it is clear that facing the Qiblah is obligatory for the one praying, and there is consensus among Muslims on this.
The obligation of facing the Qiblah is lifted in two cases:
➊ During war, at times of extreme fear, when it is not possible to pray facing the Qiblah, as Allah Almighty says:
فان خِفْتُمْ فَرِجَالًا أَوْ رُكْبَانًا
“If you fear (attack), then pray while walking or riding (in any condition).”
Similarly, in a narration, Hazrat Nafi’ (may Allah be pleased with him) says that when Hazrat Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked about the prayer of fear, he described the situation and then said that if the fear is more intense:
صلوا رجالا ، قياما على أقدامهم و ركبانا مستقبلى القبلة وغير مستقبليها
“Infantry, standing on their feet, or mounted, pray facing the Qiblah or not facing the Qiblah (in any way).”
Hazrat Nafi’ says that in my opinion, Hazrat Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was narrating the words of the Prophet ﷺ.
➋ In voluntary prayer while riding:
It is narrated from Hazrat Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ would pray voluntary prayers on his mount: قبل أى و جهه توجه facing whichever direction his mount faced, and he would pray Witr on it, but he would not pray obligatory prayers on it.
In another narration, the wording is: حيثما توجهت به “Wherever the Prophet’s ﷺ mount turned him,” (he would continue praying).
It should be noted that even in these two cases, it is obligatory to face the Qiblah at the time of Takbir al-Ihram as much as possible.
As narrated from Hazrat Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would travel and intend to pray voluntary prayers, then: استقبل بنافته القبلة “he would face the Qiblah with his she-camel,” then say Takbir and: ثم صلى حيث وجهه ركابه “then wherever his mount turned him, he would pray.”
If someone says that this hadith only mentions the Prophet’s ﷺ action (facing the Qiblah in voluntary prayer) and that it is a principle that obligation cannot be established from action, the answer is that this hadith is not for proving obligation but to explain the Prophet’s ﷺ practice. Besides, the evidences for obligation have already been mentioned above.
Some people think that facing the Qiblah is a condition for the validity of prayer, as Imam Ibn Qudamah al-Hanbali states:
استقبال القبلة شرط فى صحة الصلاة إلا فى حالتين
“Except in two cases, facing the Qiblah is a condition for the validity of prayer.”
But they have no evidence to prove that prayer is invalid without facing the Qiblah; rather, the only evidences are those that command facing the Qiblah. It is well known that a command proves obligation, not a condition, because commands and obligations are part of taklifi rulings, while conditions are part of wad’i rulings.
If one is not facing the Qibla, then after effort and research, turn towards its direction.
➊ Because the command of Allah Almighty is:
لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا
“Allah does not burden any soul beyond its capacity.”
➋ Abdullah bin Amir bin Rabi’ah (RA) narrates from his father that they were traveling with the Prophet (PBUH) on a dark night. They did not know the direction of the Qiblah:
فصلي كل رجل منا على حياله
“So each one of us prayed in his own direction.”
When morning came, they informed the Prophet (PBUH) about this. Then this verse was revealed:
فَأَيْنَمَا تُوَلُّوْا فَقَمْ وَجْهُ اللهِ
“Wherever you turn, there is the face of Allah.”
(Ibn Baz) When a believer is in a desert or a settlement where the direction of the Qiblah is doubtful, after making full effort to determine the correct direction, if he prays according to his ijtihad, then his prayer is valid.
Jurists have differed on this issue: if a person prays in a direction according to his ijtihad and then learns that he did not face the Qiblah, does he have to repeat the prayer or is the first prayer sufficient?
(Hanafis, Hanbalis) Repeating the prayer is not obligatory in case of ijtihad.
(Malikis) It is obligatory to repeat the prayer within its time.
(Shafi’is) Even if the time of the prayer has passed, it is still obligatory to repeat it.
(Preferred opinion) Whether the time of the prayer is present or has passed, it is not obligatory to repeat the prayer, as in the previous hadith where the Prophet (PBUH) did not order the companions to repeat the prayer. Imam Shawkani and Abdul Rahman Mubarakpuri also prefer this view.
(Ibn Qudamah Hanbali) agrees with this.
If during the prayer the direction of the Qibla becomes known,
then one should turn towards it within the prayer itself.
As clearly mentioned in the narration from Hazrat Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) that when a companion informed the people of Quba during prayer that the Qibla had changed by divine command, they turned from the direction of Ash-Sham towards the Kaaba within the prayer:
و كانت وجوههم إلى الشام فاستداروا إلى الكعبة
“Their faces were towards Ash-Sham, then they turned towards the Kaaba.”
Facing exactly towards the Qibla
When a worshiper is at a great distance from the Qibla, it is not necessary for him to face exactly towards the Qibla; rather, merely turning his face in that direction is sufficient, as narrated from Hazrat Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
ما بين المشرق والمغرب قبلة
“The Qibla is between the east and the west.”
Imam San’ani (may Allah have mercy on him) states that this hadith is evidence that for a person who finds it difficult to determine the exact Qibla, merely turning the face in that direction is sufficient and it is not necessary to face exactly towards the Qibla. A group of scholars holds this position based on this hadith.
The reasoning derived from the previous hadith is that not every place between east and west is the Qibla; rather, some places are the Qibla and some are its surroundings, but all are called Qibla. Therefore, facing in that direction is sufficient.
(Shawkani) This hadith is evidence that for a person far from the Kaaba, it is obligatory to face in that direction and not necessarily the exact Qibla.
(Ahmad, Malik, Abu Hanifa) are proponents of this view. According to one opinion, Imam Shafi’i also holds this position.
(Shafi’i) For a person who is far, it is obligatory to face exactly towards the Qibla.
(The preferred) The first position is the preferred and correct one.
Nowadays, determining the Qibla is not difficult because in every city and town, the mihrabs of mosques have been constructed by knowledgeable and learned people after research and investigation towards the Qibla. Therefore, one should face according to them.
If someone prays on such a high mountain that it is above the direction of the Kaaba, then his prayer is valid, and similarly, if someone prays in a place that is below that direction, (then also his prayer is valid).
Facing the Qibla in an airplane and a ship and praying while sitting
(Ibn Bazؒ) It is obligatory for a Muslim, when he is on an airplane or in the desert, to inquire about the signs of the Qiblah from knowledgeable and observant people and to exercise ijtihad in identifying the Qiblah. Then, if he is unable to know it, he should exercise ijtihad in searching for the direction of the Qiblah and face that direction while performing the prayer. This is sufficient for him even if it is later found that he erred in searching for the Qiblah. (Praying while sitting) is not objectionable when one cannot pray standing, such as a person praying on a boat or a ship; if he is unable to pray standing, he may pray sitting. Regarding this issue, the proof is the command of Allah Almighty:
فَاتَّقُوا اللهَ مَاسْتَطَعْتُمْ
“Fear Allah as much as you can.”
And he may delay the prayer until he disembarks from the airplane if there is time within the prayer period. It should be noted that all these issues pertain to obligatory prayers; besides this, facing the Qiblah is not obligatory in voluntary prayers.
Praying Facing the Qibla in Compulsion or Illness
A person who is compelled or ill may pray without facing the Qibla, provided they are unable to face the Qibla, because the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
إذا أمرتكم بأمر فاتوا منه ما استطعتم
“When I command you to do something, do it according to your ability.”
