#395: Direction of the Qiblah for the Residents of Makkah
QUESTION
“Asalamu alaykum, @admin, please for those of us not residing in the city near kaabah, where exactly is equivalent to qibla. Jazakumullahu khairan.
Na’am, jazakumullahu khairan. Please must it be any direction agreed upon or the direction where the sun rises? I mean even if the direction agreed upon is not the direction where the sun rises?”
ANSWER
We have explained that the direction of the Ka’aba from wherever location you are is your Qiblah. And we explain that it is not a must that this direction is precisely facing the Ka’aba. We also gave the reasons and the evidences for that.
If you live in Makkah, you must face the precise direction of the ka’aba as we explained. If then you live outside it, you must face its direction which does not have to be precise.
In whichever cities that you visit, and where the Masaajid are made to face certain directions, it is not permissible for you to disagree with them by facing another direction unless if there is clear error in that direction. With regards to this, we quoted the statement of Imaam Al-Haramayn – rahimahullaah – as was mentioned by As-Subki in his Fataawa.
To make things clear, the Ulamaa used to give guidelines as regards the precision or its approximate.
The author of ‘Al-Fawaakihu Ad-Dawaani’ said:
“Of the things with which the one who resides in Egypt could use is that he should ensure that the North Pole (polaris) is positioned behind his left ear, and if he were to be in Iraaq, to ensure that it is behind his right ear and if he were to be in Shaam, he should ensure that it is behind him, and if he were to be in Yemen, he should ensure that it is ahead of him. If he were to follow this, then he will automatically be facing the Qiblah because Iraq opposed Egypt from the East and Shaam from the North and Yemen from the South.”
It is known that Polaris marks the way due north. As you face Polaris and stretch your arms sideways, your right hand points due east, and your left hand points due west. About-face of Polaris steers you due south.
The implication of this is that all the countries in Africa should face an approximate direction with Egypt toward the East. This is the Maliki, Hanbali and Hanafi positions as we have explained.
What we are saying here is that you do not have to be nitty gritty on matters of the Qibla and it suffices to follow what the people of a place are agreed upon as long as it does not face entirely another direction.
If you come to a Masjid where the people do not face the exact position that you have seen on your compass or with your approximation, do not create a hitch by steering controversy. This is not the position of the Fuqahaa. It suffices that they are within the range of the North-East and the South-East.
Bārakallāhu Fīkum
Jazākumullāhu Khayran.
📚 IslamNode
