Performing salaah in the opposite direction

Q: A person goes to visit someone else and they read salaah in their house. Later on they discover that the qibla they faced in salaah was incorrect and was in the opposite direction. Do they have to repeat all the salaah they performed at the house (including in the past)?

A: All the Salaah will have to be repeated. The principle in Shari'ah is that if one's direction during Salaah was turned away from the qiblah to the extent of 45 degrees or less, the Salaah will be valid. If one's direction during Salaah was turned away from the qiblah to the extent of 46 degrees or more, the Salaah will not be valid and will have to be repeated.

And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.

 

Answered by:

Mufti Zakaria Makada

Checked & Approved:

Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)