Conditions for the validity of Salaah

Facing the wrong direction when performing Salaah

Q: A family moves into an apartment, they use a well known Qibla finding app to locate the Qibla direction and pray. Months later a neighbour points out that the direction is wrong and they must face the other direction. The difference is about 90 degrees apart. What happens to those Salaah that were prayed in the incorrect direction, are they valid or do they need to be repeated? 

Joining Salaahs

Q: I traveled from Cape Town to KZN for work for approximately 10 days. My work requires much travel to far flung places like Durban, Harrismith, Van Reenen and Vryheid. Based on the locations of the work areas, can I combine my salaah for my entire stay in KZN or should I make salaah separately after three days?

Making verbal niyyah before salaah

Q: My question is related to making the verbal niyyah before salah. Is it a bida'h? I have gone through a lot of articles regarding this matter. Some people say that it is bida'h. Some say that it is okay to say it verbally whereas some say that it is not from the sunnah, that our prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) did not use to do this. He would rather make intention in the heart and start the salaah with Allah Akbar. I am confused with it and don't want to fall in doing something wrong. So if you can guide me to the right path Insha Allah. I also want to know if the intention is to be made in the heart only then what are things that should be said in the heart.

Performing the Sunnats before the Azaan is called out

Q: If the awwal waqt for a salaah has come in e.g. asr, but the azaan has not yet gone in the masjid. If a person enters the masjid, will it be disliked at all that he reads his Sunnats although the azaan has not gone yet? If it is disliked, then would this be the case in a musallah that only gives 10 minutes between azan and salah, and a person would like to perform lengthy Sunnats and start before the azaan?