In which direction to pray and do Muslims prayer East or west?

Qibla is the fixed direction towards the Kabah in the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. It’s the direction which all Muslims face when performing their prayers, wherever they are in the world.

Allah says :

“so turn your face in the direction of Al-Masjid Al-Haram (at Makkah). And wheresoever you people are, turn your faces (in prayer) in that direction” [al-Baqarah 2:144]

When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) first came to Madeenah, he used to pray facing towards al-Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem), with the Kabah behind him and Syria in front of him. But after that he hoped that Allah would change that, so he started lifting his face towards the heavens, looking for Jibreel to come down with the Revelation telling him to turn towards the Kabah,

as Allah says : 

“Verily, We have seen the turning of your (Muhammad’s) face towards the heaven. Surely, We shall turn you to a Qiblah (prayer direction) that shall please you, so turn your face in the direction of Al-Masjid Al-Haram (at Makkah)”[al-Baqarah 2:144]

So Allah commanded him to turn towards al-Masjid al-Haram, but there are three exceptions from that: 

1 – If a person is unable to do that, such as one who is sick and is facing a direction other than the qibla, and cannot turn to face it. The duty to face towards the qibla is waived in this case, because Allah says : 

“So keep your duty to Allah and fear Him as much as you can” [al-Taghaabun 64:16] 

“Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope” [al-Baqarah 2:286]

And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “If I command you to do a thing, then do as much of it as you can.” Narrated by al-Bukhari, 7288; Muslim, 1337. 

2 – If a person is a state of intense fear, such as one who is fleeing from an enemy or from a wild animal, or from a flood which may drown him. In that case he should pray no matter which direction he is facing. The evidence for that is the verse in which Allah says : 

“And if you fear (an enemy), perform Salaah (pray) on foot or riding. And when you are in safety, offer the Salaah (prayer) in the manner He has taught you, which you knew not (before)” [al-Baqarah 2:239]

The phrase “if you fear” is general in meaning and includes all kinds of fear. And the phrase “And when you are in safety, offer the Salaah (prayer) in the manner He has taught you, which you knew not (before)” indicates that whatever part of the prayer a person omitted because of fear, there is no sin on him because of that – and that includes facing towards the qiblah. 

This is also indicated by the two verses quoted above, and the hadeeth in which it says that obligations are connected to one’s ability to do them. 

3 – When offering naafil (supererogatory) prayers when travelling, whether by plane, car or atop a camel; one may pray in whatever direction one is facing. This applies to naafil prayers such as Witr, night prayers (qiyaam), Duha and so on. 

The traveller should offer all the naafil prayers exactly like one who is not travelling, except the regular Sunnah prayers such as the Sunnahs of Zuhr, Maghrib and ‘Isha’. The Sunnah is not to offer these prayers. 

If a person wants to offer naafil prayers whilst travelling, he may offer them whatever direction he is facing. This is narrated in al-Saheehayn from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). 

What to Do If You Don’t Know the Qiblah Direction

Facing the Qibla is one of the conditions for the prayer being Valid however if a person is unable to find out which direction the qibla is then he or she should prayer in the direction they think is the qibla and the prayer will be Valid.

Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

We were with the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) on a march or a campaign, and it became cloudy. We tried to determine the Qiblah and differed concerning it, so each man prayed on his own, and one of us marked the direction he faced him so that he could check it later. The following morning we looked and found that we had prayed facing a direction other than the Qiblah. We told the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and he did not instruct us to repeat it, and he said: “Your prayer is valid.” (Narrated by Ad-Daraqutni, Al-Hakim and Al-Bayhaqi; classed as sound by Al-Albani because of corroborating reports in Irwa’ Al-Ghalil, 291.)

Al-Masjid Al-Haram

It is the first mosque that was built for people on earth,

Allah Says in the Quran :

Verily, the first House (of worship) appointed for mankind was that at Bakkah (Makkah), full of blessing, and a guidance for Al-`Alamin (mankind and jinns). [Al `Imran 3:96]

It was reported in Sahih Muslim that Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) about the first mosque to be built for people on earth. He said, `Al-Masjid Al-Haram.’ I asked, ‘Then which?’ He said, ‘Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa [The Furthest Mosque, in Jerusalem].’ I asked, ‘How long between them?’ He said, ‘Forty years.’”

The Kabah is The Heart of Al-Masjid Al-Haram

It was built by Ibrahim (peace be upon him) on the command of Allah. Allah Says (interpretation of the meaning):

{And (remember) when We showed Ibrahim the site of the (Sacred) House (the Ka`bah at Makkah) (saying): `Associate not anything (in worship) with Me, and sanctify My House for those who circumambulate it, and those who bow and make prostration.} [Al-Hajj 22:26]

The word “bawwa’na” [translated here as “We showed”] means “He guided him and gave him permission to build it.” (End quote from Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Allah also Says :

{And (remember) when Ibrahim and (his son) Isma`il were raising the foundations of the House (the Ka`bah at Makkah)…} [Al-Baqarah 2:127]

Wahb ibn Munbih (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “… It was built by Ibrahim, then [rebuilt] by the Amalekites, then by Jurham, then by Qusayy ibn Kilab. Its rebuilding by Quraysh is well known… They began to rebuild it with the stones of the valley, which Quraysh carried on their shoulders, and they built it up, 20 cubits high…

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