Facing the Ka'bah in The Solāh

Facing the Ka'bah in The Solāh

(The Qiblah in Solah )

The Solāh of the Prophet S.A.W
By Shaikh Muhammad Nasiruddin Al-Albāni

[The book was translated by Usama Ibn Suhaib Hasan Al-Brittani; it would be worthwhile to revisit it and I invite you to provide inputs]

In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;

All the praise and thanks is due to Allāh, the Lord of  al-'ālameen. There is none worthy of worship except Allāh, and that Muhammad, Sallallāhu 'alayhi wasallam, is His Messenger.

2. Description of the Solāh

2.1. Facing the Ka'bah

When the Messenger of Allah (Sallallāhu'alayhi wasallam) stood for Solāh, he would face the Ka'bah in both obligatory and voluntary Solāh [1], and Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wasallam) ordered that, saying to the "one who prayed badly" [2] : When you stand for Solāh, perform wudhu’ perfectly, then face the qiblah and say takbir.[3]

"During a journey, Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) would perform nawafil solāh and Witir on his mount, wherever it faced carrying him [east or west]." [4]

The Firman of Allāh, the Exalted, "Wherever you turn, there is the Face of Allāh" (Al-Baqarah, 2:115) applies to this. [5]

"[Sometimes] when Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wasallam) intended to perform non-obligatory Solāh on his she-camel, he would make it face the qiblah, say takbir, and perform solāh towards wherever his mount turned its face." [6]

“Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu `alayhi wasallam) would make ruku' and sajdah on his mount by lowering his head, making the sajdah lower than the ruku'." [7]

"When Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam) intended to perform obligatory Solāh, he would dismount and face the qiblah." [8]

In solāh during severe fear, Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wasallam) set the example for his ummah to conduct solāh "on foot, standing on their feet, or mounted; facing the qiblah or not facing it" [9], and he also said, When they (the armies) meet, then it (i.e. the prayer) is takbir and indication with the head. [10]

Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wasallam) also used to say: What is between the east and the west is qiblah. [11]

Jabir bin Abdullah (radiyallāhu'anhu) said:

"Once, when we were with the Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wasallam) on an expedition, the sky was cloudy, so we tried to find the Qiblah but we differed, so each one of us prayed in a different direction, and each of us drew marks in front of him in order to mark our positions. In the morning, we looked at it and found that we had not prayed towards the Qiblah. So we mentioned this to the Prophet (Sallallāhu `alayhi wasallam) [but Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) did not order us to repeat (the Solāh)] and he said: Your Solāh was sufficient." [12]

“Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wasallam) used to perform Solāh towards Baitull-Muqaddis [with the Ka`abah in front of him] before the following verse was revealed: "We see the turning of your faces to the heavens; now shall we turn you to a Qiblah that shall please you: turn then your faces in the direction of the Sacred Mosque" (Baqarah 2:144). When it was revealed he faced the Ka'bah. There were people at Quba' praying Solāh Fajar when someone came to them and said, 'Verily the Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu `alayhi wasallam) has had some of the Qur'ān revealed to him last night and he has been ordered to face the Ka`abah, [verily] so face it'. Their faces were towards Sham, so they turned round [and their Imam turned round to face the qiblah along with them]."[13]

Wallāhu'alam

Footnotes

1. This is a mutawātir fact, so detail is not necessary, although some of the evidence for it will follow.

2. See Appendix 3.
3. Collected by Bukhari, Muslim and Siraj.
4. Collected by Bukhari, Muslim and Siraj. Its takhrij is given in Irwa' Al-Ghalīl (289 & 588)
5. Muslim; Tirmidzi declared it sahih.
6. Abu Dawud, Ibn Hibban in Thiqat (1/12), Diya' in Mukhtaarah with a hasan sanad,; Ibn As-Sukn declared it sahih, as did Ibn Al-Mulaqqin in Khulasah Badr Al-Munir (22/1) and, before them, `Abdul Haqq Al-Ishbīli in his Ahkam (no. 1394 with my checking). Ahmad used it as proof, as Ibn Hani reported from him in his Masaa’il (1/67).
7. Ahmad and Tirmidzi, who declared it sahih.
8. Bukhari and Ahmad.
9. Bukhari and Muslim.
10. Bayhaqi with a sanad meeting the requirements of Bukhari and Muslim.
11. Tirmidzi and Hakim, who declared it sahih, and I have given it in Irwa' Al-Ghalīl (292), the publication of which Allāh has made easy.
12. Daraqutni, Hakim, Bayhaqi, Tirmidzi, Ibn Mājah and Tabarāni; it is given in Irwa' (296)
13. Bukhari, Muslim, Ahmad, Siraj, Tabarāni (3/108/2) and Ibn Sa`ad (1/234). It is also in Irwa' (290)

[Via The Qur'an and Sunnah Society]

Description Of The Prophet’s Solāh

1. The Introduction; 1.6. Clearing the Misconceptions
 2.1. Facing the Ka`abah ;  2.2. Standing in Solah ; 2.3. Intention ; 2.4. Takbīratulihram ;

2.5. To Gaze towards the Place of Sujud and Humility;

2.6. Opening Supplications of Solāh; 2.7. The Recitation;

 2.8. Ruku ;  2.9. Sujud;   2.10. Second Rak`ah ;  2.11. First Tashahhud;
 2.12. Standing up for the Third, and then the Fourth Rak`ah;
 2.13. The Final Tashahhud;  2.14. The Taslim.

3. Appendixes.; 4. Glossary ; 5. Bibliography.

All About The Solah

1.  The Purification; 2. The Menstruation; 3.  The Ghusul ;

4. Al-Wudhu’ ; 5. Tayammum;

6. The Adzān;

7.  The Status and Significance of Solāh; 

8.  The Pre-Conditions of Solāh; 9. The Pillars of Solāh; 10. The Sunnah Part of the Solāh;

11.   Adhkar in the Solāh; 12.   Du'ā Al-Qunūt;

13.   Places Where Offering Solāh Is Prohibited ; 14.   Placing a Sutrah In front of One Who is Performing Solah;

15.   What is permissible During the Solāh?; 16.   The Acts that Renders Solāh Invalid; 17.   Disliked Actions during the Solāh; 18.   The Solāh in Times of Fear or Danger; 19.   The Solāh of a Sick Person ;

20.   The Prostrations of Forgetfulness of Solāh;

21.   The Excellence of Nawafil Solāh;

22.   Solāh of a Traveler; 23. Solāh Qasar ; 24.  Solāh Jama’; 25. The Solāh Jama’ ;

26.   The Masajid; 27.  The Etiquette at the Masjid;

28.   The Excellence of Congregational Solāh ;

29.   Solāh al-Jumu`ah; 30. The Sanctified Hour of Jumu’ah.

31.   The Virtues of Friday; 32. The Etiquette for Solāh al-Jumu`ah ;

33.   Dzikirullāh after Solāh; 34. Du`ā Recited After the Solāh. ;

35.   Reasons for doing Sujud Al-Sahwi ;

36.   Solāh al-Hajjat ; 37. Solāh al-Tahajjud ; 38. Solāh al-Tarawih ;

39.   Solāh al-Dhuha ; 40. Solāh al-Hajjat ; 41.  Solāh al-Istikhārah ;

42.   Solāh al-Janāzah; 43. Solāh al-Jumu`ah;

44.   Solāh al-Kasuf ; 45. Solāh al-Khauf ; 46. Solāh al-Marid; 47. Solāh al-Tahajjud ;

48.   Solāh al-Tahiyyyatul Masjid; 49. Solāh al-Tarawih; 50. Solāh al-Tawbah ;

51. Solāh al-Witr; 52.   Solāh al-Wudhu’ ; 53. Solāh Eid ul Fitr