Rules of Qibla

776. Our Qibla is the Holy Ka’bah, which is situated in Mecca, and one should offer one’s prayers facing it. However, a person who is far, would stand in such a manner that people would say that he is praying facing the Qibla, and that would suffice. This also applies to other acts, which should be performed facing the Qibla like, while slaughtering an animal.

777. A person offering obligatory prayers while standing should stand in a way that it can be said he is facing Qibla and it is not obligatory that his knees or toes face also Qibla.

778. One who should pray in the sitting position, if he cannot sit in normal position and while sitting, the soles of his feet is placed on ground, he must turn his face, chest, and stomach to Qibla and it is not necessary to place his foreleg towards Qibla.

779. If a person cannot offer prayers in the sitting posture, he should lie on the right hand side in such a manner that the front part of the body would face the Qibla. And if that is not possible, he should lie on the left hand side in such a manner that the front part of his body would face the Qibla. And if even that is not possible, he should lie on his back in such a manner, that the sole of his feet face the Qibla.

780. Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, and forgotten Sajdah, and forgotten Tashahhud should all be offered facing the Qibla, and on the basis of recommended precaution, Sajdatus Sahv should also be offered facing the Qibla.

781. A Mustahab Namaz can be offered while one is walking, or riding (a car, train, ship or aircraft), and if a person offers Mustahab prayers in these two conditions, it is not necessary that he should be facing the Qibla.

782. A person who wishes to offer prayers, should make efforts to ascertain the direction of Qibla, and for that, he has to either be absolutely sure, or acquire such information as may amount to certainly, like testimony of two reliable persons or act according to the information given by a person who knows Qibla through scientific methods and is duly reliable. If that is not possible, he should form an idea from the Niche (Mehrab) of the Masjid or from the graves of the Muslims, or by other ways, and act accordingly. In fact, if a non-Muslim who can determine Qibla by scientific method, indicates Qibla satisfactorily, he can be relied upon.

783. If a person, who has a mere surmise about Qibla, and is in a position to have a better idea, he should not act on that guess work. For example, if a guest has an idea about the direction of Qibla on the statement of the owner of the house, but feels that he can acquire a firmer knowledge about Qibla by some means, he should not act on his host’s words.

784. Normal Qibla indicators, if they are in working condition, are considered one of the good methods of finding direction of Qibla and the idea taken from them is not less reliable than other ways, but most of the time they are more reliable.

785. If one does not know the direction of Qibla, he may form an idea from the Mehrab (Niche) of Masjids or Muslims graves, but if he gets another direction for sure, through Ejtehad or his efforts or by using new instruments such as Qibla Direction Finder, as an obligatory precaution, he cannot resort to the Mehrab of Masjids or graves. However, if he thinks seriously that Muslims of the area have made mistake or they have been imprecise in building Mehrab of Masjids or graves, he should pray in the direction that he believes it is the most likely direction of Qibla.

786. If one has not any means of finding the direction of Qibla and in spite of efforts he has not any idea about it, if the time is enough, he must pray in all four directions and if he has not enough time for this, he must pray till the time lets him. For example, if he has enough time for one Namaz, he must pray in one direction as he wishes. He must pray those Namaz in a way that he is sure one of them is in the direction of Qibla.

787. If a person is sure or guesses that Qibla is on one of the two directions, he should offer prayers facing both; but, as a recommendatory precaution, he must pray in all four directions.

788. If a person has to offer prayers facing a few direction, and wants to offer two prayers like Zuhr prayers and Asr prayers, which should be offered one after the other, he should offer the first Namaz facing those few directions, and then commence the second prayers.

789. If a person who is not certain about the direction of Qibla, wishes to perform acts other than Namaz, which should be done facing the Qibla like, slaughtering an animal, he should act according to his surmise about the direction of Qibla, and if that does not seem possible, then performing the act facing any direction will be valid.

790. If a person is acting according to his guess about Qibla and during the Namaz he gets an idea that the direction of Qibla is another one, he must pray the rest of his Namaz in the second one and if the part which he has already offered is to the right or left or back to Qibla, he must complete it facing Qibla and, as a recommendatory precaution, he must repeat his Namaz.

791. If a person stands for Namaz without care or unintentionally, if he later comes to know that the direction of Qibla was correct and he has offered his Namaz with the intention of Qurbat, his Namaz is in order; but if after Namaz, he comes to know that the direction of Qibla was not correct, his Namaz is void and he must repeat it.

792. If a person slaughters a camel or sheep intentionally in the direction contrary to Qibla, their meat are Haraam; but if he does not know the direction of Qibla or he has forgotten it or he had another excuse, it is Halal to eat their meat.