What is the ruling on looking at the Ka'bah during prayer

Question : The questioner says: You have informed us, Honorable Shaykh, that looking at the sky during prayer is forbidden, and we are in the Sacred House, so what is the ruling on looking at the Ka'bah itself during prayer? Knowing that a person praying outside the Sacred Mosque is required to look at the place of prostration while facing the Ka'bah,

Answer : Regarding the questioner's statement: The person praying outside the Sacred Mosque is required to look at the place of prostration. The word "required" implies obligation, which means the questioner thinks it is obligatory for the person praying to look at the place of prostration. That is not the case; it is not obligatory for the person praying to look at the place of prostration, but it is better to look at the place of prostration, because that preserves him from distraction and from the preoccupation of the eye. As for the Sacred Mosque, some jurists say that one should look at the Ka'bah rather than the place of prostration, and they justified this by saying that looking at the Ka'bah is an act of worship. However, there is some hesitation about that, because the claim that looking at the Ka'bah is an act of worship requires evidence. If it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that looking at it is an act of worship, then looking at it is an act of worship. And if that is established, it does not imply that the person praying is required to worship by looking at the Ka'bah, because if looking at the Ka'bah is established as an act of worship, it is an absolute, independent act of worship, and a person praying should not be preoccupied with a matter that does not relate to the prayer.