Praying on an airplane and determining the qiblah
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
The fourth question: The questioner says: I traveled to London and prayed on the airplane without knowing the qiblah. Then I stayed in London for a period and prayed without knowing the qiblah. What is meant by the statement, “Wherever you are, turn your faces”? And is it permissible to pray on a mount or a ship? So says the questioner.
Answer:
If you are on the airplane, you must determine the qiblah, consider the direction, and pray. Likewise, in London and elsewhere, you must determine it, think, and look, and then pray on the assumption that you have hit the qiblah; the prayer is valid. However, praying without thinking or looking is not permissible. One must determine the direction and look. If he is in the East, his qiblah is in the West; if he is in the West, his qiblah is in the East. If he is in the South, his qiblah is in the North; if he is in the North, his qiblah is in the South. The Ka'bah is the reference point. If things are confusing for him, he should look and ask the knowledgeable. Perhaps he has the known compass and can use it. But praying like that without looking, consulting, or thinking is not permissible. This is a lack of concern and neglect of the matter of Allah. If he prays without ijtihad (independent legal reasoning), he does not fulfill the requirement until he reaches the qiblah. He should ask the knowledgeable about the direction of the qiblah. If he has a compass and knows how to use it, he should do so as well. But being lax is not permissible.
One of the scholars or guides determines it himself; he determines the direction of the Ka'bah. This is what is meant by “Wherever you are, turn your faces” — meaning the direction of the Ka'bah. The one in the West, toward the West, determines the direction of the Ka'bah in the East. The one in China and its followers, and in the East, Pakistan, and elsewhere, determines it in the West. The one in Morocco, Algeria, and similar places determines it in the North, in the East. The one in the South, like Jizan, Jazan, and Yemen, determines it in the North. The one in the North, like Madinah and the northern region, determines it in the South. This is how the two halves of the Haram are divided. Question: Did you throw the pebbles or did you determine the direction? He must repeat the prayer. The prayer is invalid because he did not exert effort and did not fulfill the right of Allah.
The fourth question: The questioner says: I traveled to London and prayed on the airplane without knowing the qiblah. Then I stayed in London for a period and prayed without knowing the qiblah. What is meant by the statement, “Wherever you are, turn your faces”? And is it permissible to pray on a mount or a ship? So says the questioner.
Answer:
If you are on the airplane, you must determine the qiblah, consider the direction, and pray. Likewise, in London and elsewhere, you must determine it, think, and look, and then pray on the assumption that you have hit the qiblah; the prayer is valid. However, praying without thinking or looking is not permissible. One must determine the direction and look. If he is in the East, his qiblah is in the West; if he is in the West, his qiblah is in the East. If he is in the South, his qiblah is in the North; if he is in the North, his qiblah is in the South. The Ka'bah is the reference point. If things are confusing for him, he should look and ask the knowledgeable. Perhaps he has the known compass and can use it. But praying like that without looking, consulting, or thinking is not permissible. This is a lack of concern and neglect of the matter of Allah. If he prays without ijtihad (independent legal reasoning), he does not fulfill the requirement until he reaches the qiblah. He should ask the knowledgeable about the direction of the qiblah. If he has a compass and knows how to use it, he should do so as well. But being lax is not permissible.
One of the scholars or guides determines it himself; he determines the direction of the Ka'bah. This is what is meant by “Wherever you are, turn your faces” — meaning the direction of the Ka'bah. The one in the West, toward the West, determines the direction of the Ka'bah in the East. The one in China and its followers, and in the East, Pakistan, and elsewhere, determines it in the West. The one in Morocco, Algeria, and similar places determines it in the North, in the East. The one in the South, like Jizan, Jazan, and Yemen, determines it in the North. The one in the North, like Madinah and the northern region, determines it in the South. This is how the two halves of the Haram are divided. Question: Did you throw the pebbles or did you determine the direction? He must repeat the prayer. The prayer is invalid because he did not exert effort and did not fulfill the right of Allah.
Source
فتاوى الحج - ٣ — archive.org (17:39)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.