The ruling on the deviation of the qiblah in a mosque
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
This questioner, Honorable Shaykh, sent a question in which he says: Honorable Shaykh, we have a mosque in which the qiblah deviates significantly from the correct direction by as much as fifty-seven degrees, according to the device used to determine the direction of the Ka'bah. The people have been accustomed to praying according to the direction of the mosque because many of them are unaware of the mosque's deviation from the qiblah. Does this matter affect our prayer?
Answer:
Facing the qiblah, which is the direction in which the Ka'bah is located, is a condition for the validity of the prayer. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Baqarah 2:144]. If the deviation in old mosques is significant such that the Ka'bah, or the direction in which the Ka'bah is located, is on one's side or behind one's back, this is not permissible, and the prayer with them is not valid. However, if the deviation is less than that, it does not affect the prayer.
Based on his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):Jami` at-Tirmidhi 342Sahih (Darussalam) So the matter is broad in this, on the condition that it does not reach the limit of deviation from the direction of the qiblah.
If there is a deviation in the mosque, it is obligatory to straighten the rows and adjust the carpet to the correct direction. And if this mosque is rebuilt after being demolished, it is obligatory that it be established facing the qiblah and that any deviation in it be corrected. Yes.
This questioner, Honorable Shaykh, sent a question in which he says: Honorable Shaykh, we have a mosque in which the qiblah deviates significantly from the correct direction by as much as fifty-seven degrees, according to the device used to determine the direction of the Ka'bah. The people have been accustomed to praying according to the direction of the mosque because many of them are unaware of the mosque's deviation from the qiblah. Does this matter affect our prayer?
Answer:
Facing the qiblah, which is the direction in which the Ka'bah is located, is a condition for the validity of the prayer. Allah the Exalted said:
So turn your face toward al-Masjid al-Haram. And wherever you [believers] are, turn your faces toward it [in prayer]
فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ وَحَيْثُ مَا كُنتُمْ فَوَلُّوا وُجُوهَكُمْ شَطْرَهُBased on his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):
What is between the east and the west is Qiblah.
ما بين المشرق والمغرب قبلة.If there is a deviation in the mosque, it is obligatory to straighten the rows and adjust the carpet to the correct direction. And if this mosque is rebuilt after being demolished, it is obligatory that it be established facing the qiblah and that any deviation in it be corrected. Yes.
Source
نور على الدرب - الفوزان - 03/224 — archive.org (8:25)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.