Salat Motion 2: Rulings Regarding Prayer; The Qiblah
The Rulings of Prayer: The Qiblah (Direction of Prayer)
The Kaʿba -which is located in Mecca- is the Qiblah of all Muslims, the direction towards which all Muslims must perform their prayers; otherwise their prayer is invalid.
Therefore, one should find the direction of the Qiblah before starting the prayer.
There are four ways to determine the direction of Qiblah:
- Trying to determine the direction of Mecca personally.
- Following the testimony of two just witnesses or one trusted person who determined the direction of the Qiblah based on sensory indications.
- Following the opinion of a trustworthy person who has determined the Qiblah based on scientific methods.
- Determining the Qiblah based on the direction of the Miḥrāb of a mosque, or that of the graves in a Muslim cemetery or in any other way.
However, in the case a Muslim is not able to determine the Qiblah through any of these ways, they should choose one direction and perform their prayer.
