If someone prays Namaaz in the wrong qibla direction and later realises that it was incorrect, does he have to repeat it ?
Ahmed, Malawi
بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم
Facing towards direction of Qibla (استقبال القبلہ) is one of basic conditions of Salah.
There are two scenarios of this situation when someone prays in incorrect Qibla direction :
▪️ If someone prays in the wrong direction without inquiring, Salah has to be repeated.
"Deviation of the direction of face for more than 45 degrees from the Qibla renders the namaz null and void" [Durr e Mukhtar , Fatawa Razawiyah]
▪️If proper inquiry was done , or if there was no Muslim to tell, no mosque or minaret or any sort of sign to tell and then Taharri (deep self thinking ) was done and Namaz was offered then it is Valid.There is no need to repeat it even if was recognized later that direction was incorrect.
As it is mentioned in al-Durr al-Mukhtār,
“وَيَتَحَرَّى عَاجِزٌ عَنْ مَعْرِفَةِ الْقِبْلَةِ فَإِنْ ظَهَرَ خَطَؤُهُ لَمْ يُعِدْ“
“One who is incapable of ascertaining the Qiblah direction with sure knowledge should perform taharri (deep self thinking) and if his mistake becomes apparent to him later on, then the prayer will not be repeated [because it is valid].”
[al-Durr al-Mukhtār, vol 3, pg 346]
For self thinking and assumption, it should be noted that if there is even one such Muslim who knows the direction of the Qiblah with certainty, then performing taharrī at that time will not be permissible.
It is mentioned in Radd al-Muhtār,
“هُوَ الِاسْتِدْلَال بِالْمَحَارِيبِ وَالنُّجُومِ وَالسُّؤَالِ مِنْ الْعَالِمِ بِهَا ، فَأَفَادَ أَنَّهُ لَا يَتَحَرَّى مَعَ الْقُدْرَةِ عَلَى أَحَدِ هَذِهِ”
“[If one is capable of] determining the direction of the Qiblah through prayer niches (Mihrābs), by the means of the stars, or by asking someone who has knowledge of its direction, then one is not permitted to do taharrī.”
[Radd al-Muhtār, vol 2, pg 143]
واللہ تعالٰی اعلم
Mufti Abdul Rehman Qadri
LMJ Quran Academy Malawi
10 Shabaan 1447 AH