Facing the Qiblah When Relieving Oneself
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Fatwa Number ( 4480 )
Q: A person is sending us an inquiry about the ruling on facing or turning one’s back to the Qiblah when relieving oneself in buildings or restrooms. Then, what is the ruling on the buildings currently in use, which have toilets that face or turn their backs to the Qiblah, and which cannot be modified without demolishing the entire bathroom or part of it to make the adjustment? Finally, if we have blueprints that have not yet been implemented, and some of the toilets face or turn their backs to the Qiblah, is it obligatory to modify them, or is it permissible to implement them as is without any blame?
A: Praise be to Allah alone, and blessings and peace be upon His Messenger, his family, and his Companions.. After that: First: The correct opinion among the scholars is that it is forbidden to face the Qiblah (the Ka'bah) or turn one’s back to it when relieving oneself in the open with urine or feces, and that it is permissible to do so in a building, and if there is a close barrier in front of one when facing it, or behind one when turning one’s back to it; such as a tent, a tree, a mountain, or the like. This is the opinion of many scholars; based on what is established from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), that he said: Narrated by Ahmad and Muslim, and what was narrated by Abu Ayyub al-Ansari from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), that he said: Sahih al-Bukhari 394 Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim, and what is established from Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), that he said: Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim and the authors of the Sunan, and Abu Dawud and al-Hakim narrated that Marwan al-Asfar said: Mishkat al-Masabih 373 , and Abu Dawud was silent about it, and al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar said in (al-Fath): Its chain is good. And Ahmad Abu Dawud al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah narrated from Jabir ibn 'Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: Sunan Ibn Majah 325Hasan (Darussalam) . Many scholars adopted this view; reconciling the evidence by interpreting the hadith of Abu Hurayrah and the like as applying when relieving oneself in the open without a barrier, and the hadith of Jabir ibn 'Abdullah and Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) as applying when in a building or with a barrier between one and the Qiblah; and from this, the permissibility of facing or turning one’s back to the Qiblah when relieving oneself in buildings and their shelters is known. Second: If there are blueprints for buildings that have not been implemented, and they have toilets that face or turn their backs to the Qiblah, the most cautious course is to modify them; so that relieving oneself in them does not involve facing or turning one’s back to the Qiblah; to avoid the disagreement on this matter. And if they are not modified, there is no sin; based on the aforementioned hadiths.
And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and his Companions.
Q: A person is sending us an inquiry about the ruling on facing or turning one’s back to the Qiblah when relieving oneself in buildings or restrooms. Then, what is the ruling on the buildings currently in use, which have toilets that face or turn their backs to the Qiblah, and which cannot be modified without demolishing the entire bathroom or part of it to make the adjustment? Finally, if we have blueprints that have not yet been implemented, and some of the toilets face or turn their backs to the Qiblah, is it obligatory to modify them, or is it permissible to implement them as is without any blame?
A: Praise be to Allah alone, and blessings and peace be upon His Messenger, his family, and his Companions.. After that: First: The correct opinion among the scholars is that it is forbidden to face the Qiblah (the Ka'bah) or turn one’s back to it when relieving oneself in the open with urine or feces, and that it is permissible to do so in a building, and if there is a close barrier in front of one when facing it, or behind one when turning one’s back to it; such as a tent, a tree, a mountain, or the like. This is the opinion of many scholars; based on what is established from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), that he said:
If any of you sits to relieve himself, let him not face the Qiblah or turn his back to it
إذا جلس أحدكم لحاجته فلا يستقبل القبلة ولا يستدبرهاWhile defecating, neither face nor turn your back to the Qibla but face either east or west.
إذا أتيتم الغائط فلا تستقبلوا القبلة ولا تستدبروها، ولكن شرقوا أو غربواI climbed up one day to the roof of Hafsa’s house, and I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) relieving himself, facing toward Sham and turning his back to the Ka'bah
رقيت يومًا على بيت حفصة، فرأيت النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم على حاجته مستقبل الشام مستدبر الكعبةI saw Ibn ‘Umar make his camel kneel facing the qibla , then sit down and pass water in its direction, so I said, “Abu ‘Abd ar-Rahman, [Ibn ‘Umar's kunya ] has this not been forbidden?” He replied, “No, that was forbidden only in open country; but when there is something between you and the qibla to conceal you, there is no harm.”
رأيت ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما أناخ راحلته مستقبل القبلة يبول إليها، فقلت: أبا عبد الرحمن: أليس قد نهي عن ذلك؟ قال: إنما نهي عن هذا في الفضاء، فإذا كان بينك وبين القبلة شيء يسترك فلا بأسThe Messenger of Allah forbade facing the Qiblah when urinating. But I saw him, one year before he died, facing the Qiblah (while urinating).
نهى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أن نستقبل القبلة ببول فرأيته قبل أن يقبض بعام يستقبلهاAnd 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.