Continuation of the explanation of the words of Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding what he quoted: "... and establish the prayer ...". In it is mentioned the condition of facing the qiblah.
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The Shaykh : In this session, we speak about facing the qiblah. Facing the qiblah is one of the conditions of the ritual prayer; the prayer is not valid without it, because Allah the Exalted commanded it, and He repeated the command for it in the beginning of the second part of the Noble Qur'an. He said: [Al-Baqarah 2:150] meaning: its direction. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he first arrived in al-Madinah, used to pray facing al-Masjid al-Aqsa, placing the Ka'bah behind his back and Sham in front of his face. However, after that, he anticipated that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, would legislate for him something different, so he would turn his face toward the sky, waiting for when Jibril would descend upon him with the revelation to face a direction other than al-Masjid al-Aqsa [Al-Baqarah 2:144]: So Allah, Mighty and Majestic, commanded him to face the direction of al-Masjid al-Haram, meaning its direction. However, three issues are excluded from this:
The first issue: If a person is unable, such as a patient whose face is toward a direction other than the qiblah and he cannot turn toward the qiblah, then facing the qiblah is dropped from him in this state, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted:[At-Taghabun 64:16], and His saying: [Al-Baqarah 2:286], and the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Sahih al-Bukhari 7288.
The second: If a person is in severe fear, such as a person fleeing from an enemy, or fleeing from a wild beast, or fleeing from fire, or fleeing from a valley that will drown him; the important thing is that he is in severe fear. Here, he prays wherever his face is. The evidence for this is the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Baqarah 2:239]. His saying: is general and includes any fear. And His saying: [Al-Baqarah 2:239] indicates that any remembrance a person leaves off due to fear, there is no blame on him for it, and facing the qiblah is among that. Also indicating this is what was mentioned previously of the two noble verses and the Prophetic hadith: that the obligation is contingent upon ability.
The third: In voluntary prayers during travel. If a person is traveling, whether on a plane, in a car, or on a camel, he prays wherever his face is in voluntary prayers: witr, the night prayer, the duha prayer, and the like. The traveler should perform all voluntary prayers just as the resident does, except for the rawatib (regular voluntary prayers attached to the obligatory ones): the rawatib of Zuhr, Maghrib, and 'Isha'. The recommended practice is to leave them off. As for the other voluntary prayers, they remain prescribed for the traveler, just as they are prescribed for the resident.
So if he wants to perform a voluntary prayer while he is in his car, or on his plane, or on his camel, or on his donkey, he performs it wherever his face is, because that is what is established in *al-Sahihayn* from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
These are three issues in which facing the qiblah is not obligatory. As for the ignorant person, it is obligatory for him to face the qiblah. But if he exerts effort and investigates, and then the error becomes apparent to him after his effort, he does not have to repeat the prayer. We do not say that facing the qiblah is dropped from him. No, it is obligatory for him to face the qiblah and investigate to the best of his ability. If he investigates to the best of his ability and then the error becomes apparent, he does not repeat his prayer. The evidence for this is that the Companions who did not know about the change of the qiblah to the Ka'bah were praying the Fajr prayer one day in al-Masjid Quba. A man came to them and said:Muwatta Malik 14:7: They turned around after the Ka'bah was behind them, making it in front of them. They turned around and remained in their prayer. This was during the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and there was no objection to it, so that is prescribed. Meaning, if a person errs in the qiblah out of ignorance, he does not have to repeat it. But if it becomes apparent to him, even during the prayer, it is obligatory for him to straighten himself toward the qiblah.
So suppose a person starts praying toward a direction other than the qiblah, thinking it is the qiblah, and a person comes to him and says: "The qiblah is to your right or to your left." It is obligatory for him to turn to the right or to the left, and he is not required to restart the prayer, because the beginning of it was based on effort and a legitimate legal opinion, so it is not invalidated. So facing the qiblah is thus one of the conditions of the ritual prayer; the prayer is not valid without it, except in the three places we mentioned, or if a person errs after effort and investigation. Here, it is obligatory—indeed, it is obligatory—for a person who has stayed as a guest with someone and wants to perform a voluntary prayer to ask about the qiblah. He asks the host of the house: "Where is the qiblah?" If he informs him, he turns toward it. Because some people are prevented by arrogance in sin, and modesty prevents them, though it is not in its proper place. Meaning, modesty in an improper place prevents them from asking about the qiblah.
And from wherever you go out [for prayer], turn your face toward al-Masjid al-Haram. And wherever you [believers] may be, turn your faces toward it
وَمِنْ حَيْثُ خَرَجْتَ فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ وَحَيْثُ مَا كُنْتُمْ فَوَلُّوا وُجُوهَكُمْ شَطْرَهُWe have certainly seen the turning of your face, [O Muhammad], toward the heaven, and We will surely turn you to a qiblah with which you will be pleased. So turn your face toward al-Masjid al-Haram
قَدْ نَرَى تَقَلُّبَ وَجْهِكَ فِي السَّمَاءِ فلنولينَّك قِبْلَةً تَرْضَاهَا فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِThe first issue: If a person is unable, such as a patient whose face is toward a direction other than the qiblah and he cannot turn toward the qiblah, then facing the qiblah is dropped from him in this state, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted:
So fear Allah as much as you are able
فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْAllah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity
لا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْساً إِلَّا وُسْعَهَاAnd if I order you to do something, then do of it as much as you can.
إذا أمرتكم بأمر فأتوا منه ما استطعتمThe second: If a person is in severe fear, such as a person fleeing from an enemy, or fleeing from a wild beast, or fleeing from fire, or fleeing from a valley that will drown him; the important thing is that he is in severe fear. Here, he prays wherever his face is. The evidence for this is the saying of Allah the Exalted:
And if you fear [an enemy, then pray] on foot or riding. But when you are secure, then remember Allah [in prayer], as He has taught you that which you did not [previously] know.
فَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ فَرِجَالاً أَوْ رُكْبَاناً فَإِذَا أَمِنْتُمْ فَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ كَمَا عَلَّمَكُمْ مَا لَمْ تَكُونُوا تَعْلَمُونَIf you fear
فإن خفتمBut when you are secure, then remember Allah [in prayer], as He has taught you that which you did not [previously] know.
فَإِذَا أَمِنْتُمْ فَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ كَمَا عَلَّمَكُمْ مَا لَمْ تَكُونُوا تَعْلَمُونَThe third: In voluntary prayers during travel. If a person is traveling, whether on a plane, in a car, or on a camel, he prays wherever his face is in voluntary prayers: witr, the night prayer, the duha prayer, and the like. The traveler should perform all voluntary prayers just as the resident does, except for the rawatib (regular voluntary prayers attached to the obligatory ones): the rawatib of Zuhr, Maghrib, and 'Isha'. The recommended practice is to leave them off. As for the other voluntary prayers, they remain prescribed for the traveler, just as they are prescribed for the resident.
So if he wants to perform a voluntary prayer while he is in his car, or on his plane, or on his camel, or on his donkey, he performs it wherever his face is, because that is what is established in *al-Sahihayn* from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
These are three issues in which facing the qiblah is not obligatory. As for the ignorant person, it is obligatory for him to face the qiblah. But if he exerts effort and investigates, and then the error becomes apparent to him after his effort, he does not have to repeat the prayer. We do not say that facing the qiblah is dropped from him. No, it is obligatory for him to face the qiblah and investigate to the best of his ability. If he investigates to the best of his ability and then the error becomes apparent, he does not repeat his prayer. The evidence for this is that the Companions who did not know about the change of the qiblah to the Ka'bah were praying the Fajr prayer one day in al-Masjid Quba. A man came to them and said:
A piece of Qur'an was sent down to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, last night, and he was ordered to face the Kaba, so face it.' They had been facing ash-Sham, so they turned round and faced the Kaba.
إن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أنزل عليه قرآن ، وأُمر أن يستقبل الكعبة فاستقبِلوها ، فاستدارواSo suppose a person starts praying toward a direction other than the qiblah, thinking it is the qiblah, and a person comes to him and says: "The qiblah is to your right or to your left." It is obligatory for him to turn to the right or to the left, and he is not required to restart the prayer, because the beginning of it was based on effort and a legitimate legal opinion, so it is not invalidated. So facing the qiblah is thus one of the conditions of the ritual prayer; the prayer is not valid without it, except in the three places we mentioned, or if a person errs after effort and investigation. Here, it is obligatory—indeed, it is obligatory—for a person who has stayed as a guest with someone and wants to perform a voluntary prayer to ask about the qiblah. He asks the host of the house: "Where is the qiblah?" If he informs him, he turns toward it. Because some people are prevented by arrogance in sin, and modesty prevents them, though it is not in its proper place. Meaning, modesty in an improper place prevents them from asking about the qiblah.