The honorable Shaykh: Which is better for the one praying in the Sacred Mosque, looking at the Ka'bah if he is able, or looking at the place of his prostration?
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The questioner : And this questioner says: The honorable Shaykh
The Shaykh : Honorable? What honor?
The questioner : Honorable.
The Shaykh : In the accusative case, yes.
The questioner : Which is better for the one praying in the Sacred Mosque, looking at the Ka'bah if he is able, or looking at the place of his prostration?
The Shaykh : The correct view is that looking at the Ka'bah is not an act of worship, and it is not prescribed in prayer. Looking at the Ka'bah in prayer causes the heart to be preoccupied; the heart becomes preoccupied with looking at the Ka'bah itself, and looking at the circumambulators also distracts the person praying. There is no doubt about this; everyone realizes it. And it is better for a person to look at the place of his prostration. However, looking at the place of prostration is also a matter of disagreement among scholars. Some said that the one praying looks straight ahead, meaning he does not restrict his gaze to anything, but he does not look at anything that distracts him. Others, and they are the majority, said he looks at the place of prostration. As for the statement that he looks at the Ka'bah during prayer because looking at it is an act of worship, this is questionable, both in terms of the ruling and the reasoning. As for the ruling, it is said that prayer involves an engagement that occupies a person with it to the exclusion of other things, and if he occupies himself with looking at the Ka'bah, he is distracted from the prayer. As for the reasoning, establishing that looking at the Ka'bah is an act of worship requires evidence. If evidence is found indicating that looking at the Ka'bah is an act of worship, then it is an act of worship; and if no evidence is found, such a ruling is not established without evidence. Yes.
The Shaykh : Honorable? What honor?
The questioner : Honorable.
The Shaykh : In the accusative case, yes.
The questioner : Which is better for the one praying in the Sacred Mosque, looking at the Ka'bah if he is able, or looking at the place of his prostration?
The Shaykh : The correct view is that looking at the Ka'bah is not an act of worship, and it is not prescribed in prayer. Looking at the Ka'bah in prayer causes the heart to be preoccupied; the heart becomes preoccupied with looking at the Ka'bah itself, and looking at the circumambulators also distracts the person praying. There is no doubt about this; everyone realizes it. And it is better for a person to look at the place of his prostration. However, looking at the place of prostration is also a matter of disagreement among scholars. Some said that the one praying looks straight ahead, meaning he does not restrict his gaze to anything, but he does not look at anything that distracts him. Others, and they are the majority, said he looks at the place of prostration. As for the statement that he looks at the Ka'bah during prayer because looking at it is an act of worship, this is questionable, both in terms of the ruling and the reasoning. As for the ruling, it is said that prayer involves an engagement that occupies a person with it to the exclusion of other things, and if he occupies himself with looking at the Ka'bah, he is distracted from the prayer. As for the reasoning, establishing that looking at the Ka'bah is an act of worship requires evidence. If evidence is found indicating that looking at the Ka'bah is an act of worship, then it is an act of worship; and if no evidence is found, such a ruling is not established without evidence. Yes.