Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

A person performs obligatory prayers for few days facing the direction other than the Qibla in a non- muslim country after using the compass and also relying on his full judgment. Then he comes to know from the muslim community there that he was praying in the wrong direction. Does he have to repeat all his obligatory prayers for those few days?

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Praying in wrong direction

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 286:On no soul doth Allah place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns. (Pray): "Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget or fall into error; Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which Thou didst lay on those before us; Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Blot out our sins and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. Thou art our Protector; help us against those who stand against faith."

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 1.1 Narrated by Umar bin Al Khattab

I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) saying, "The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions, and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended.”

If one has sincerely strived to figure out the direction of the Qibla before offering his prayers, and subsequently finds out later that he had been unintentionally praying in the wrong direction all along; it is expected that the Merciful and Forgiving Lord would accept the prayers of such a person. The person is not required to repeat his prayers for those days.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 6.13 Narrated by Al Bara

The Prophet (saws) prayed facing Bait-ul Maqdis (i.e. Jerusalem) for sixteen or seventeen months (after reaching Medina), but he wished that his Qibla would be the Ka'ba (at Mecca). (So Allah revealed (the Aayah in the Holy Quran 2.144) and he (saws) offered 'Asr prayers (in his Mosque facing Ka'ba at Mecca) and some people prayed with him. A man from among those who had prayed with him (saws), went out and passed by some people offering prayer in another mosque, and they were in the state of bowing. He said, "I, (swearing by Allah,) testify that I have prayed with the Prophet (saws) facing Mecca." Hearing that, they turned their faces to the Ka'ba while they were still bowing. Some men had died before the Qibla was changed towards the Ka'ba. They had been killed and we did not know what to say about them (i.e. whether their prayers towards Jerusalem were accepted or not). So Allah revealed (in the Holy Quran 2:143): "And Allah would never make your faith (i.e. prayer) to be lost (i.e. your prayers offered (towards Jerusalem). Truly Allah is Full of Pity, Most Merciful towards mankind."

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan