The first question of Fatwa number ( 3534 ) Q1: In our homeland, there are multiple mosques whose mihrabs have deviated to the right. The reason for this is that some people thought that the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): ما بين المشرق والمغرب قبلة What is between the east and the west is Qiblah. Jami` at-Tirmidhi 342 . Based on this, is it sufficient for the imam alone to face the direction of the qiblah without the ma'mum? A1: It is obligatory for the imam and the ma'mum to face the direction of the Ka'bah ; because of the saying of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He): وَحَيْثُمَا كُنْتُمْ فَوَلُّوا وُجُوهَكُمْ شَطْرَهُ And wherever you [believers] are, turn your faces toward it [in prayer] [Al-Baqarah 2:144] and His saying (peace and blessings be upon him): ما بين المشرق والمغرب قبلة What is between the east and the west is Qiblah. Jami` at-Tirmidhi 342 narrated by al-Tirmidhi, who said: It is a good, authentic hadith. This is an address to the people of Madinah and the like of them who are to the north of the Ka'bah or to the south of it, and its apparent meaning is that everything between them is the qiblah. As for the one who is to the west or east of the Ka'bah , the qiblah for him is what is between the north and the south. And because if the intention were to hit the exact point of one who is far from the Ka'bah , the prayer of the people of a long row on a straight line would not be valid, nor the prayer of two distant people facing the same qiblah, for it is not possible to face the Ka'bah with the length of the row more than the size of the Ka'bah . And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and his Companions.

Facing the Qiblah

The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta

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The first question of Fatwa number ( 3534 )
Q1: In our homeland, there are multiple mosques whose mihrabs have deviated to the right. The reason for this is that some people thought that the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): What is between the east and the west is Qiblah.
ما بين المشرق والمغرب قبلة
Jami` at-Tirmidhi 342Sahih (Darussalam)
. Based on this, is it sufficient for the imam alone to face the direction of the qiblah without the ma'mum?
A1: It is obligatory for the imam and the ma'mum to face the direction of the Ka'bah ;
because of the saying of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He):

And wherever you [believers] are, turn your faces toward it [in prayer]

وَحَيْثُمَا كُنْتُمْ فَوَلُّوا وُجُوهَكُمْ شَطْرَهُ

[Al-Baqarah 2:144]

and His saying (peace and blessings be upon him):

What is between the east and the west is Qiblah.

ما بين المشرق والمغرب قبلة

Jami` at-Tirmidhi 342Sahih (Darussalam)

narrated by al-Tirmidhi, who said: It is a good, authentic hadith. This is an address to the people of Madinah and the like of them who are to the north of the Ka'bah or to the south of it, and its apparent meaning is that everything between them is the qiblah. As for the one who is to the west or east of the Ka'bah , the qiblah for him is what is between the north and the south. And because if the intention were to hit the exact point of one who is far from the Ka'bah , the prayer of the people of a long row on a straight line would not be valid, nor the prayer of two distant people facing the same qiblah, for it is not possible to face the Ka'bah with the length of the row more than the size of the Ka'bah . And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and his Companions.

Source www.alifta.gov.sa

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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