Fatwa ID: 09483
Answered by Mufti Sakib Shadman
Question:
Where does the 45 degree inhiraaf opinion come from in the masa’ala of istiqbaalul qibla?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Residents of Makkah must face the actual Kaʿbah (عين الكعبة) with precision. [3] However, Muslims living outside Makkah are required to face the direction of the Kaʿbah and not its exact physical structure. [2]
If we consider the horizon to consist of four primary directions (North, South, East, and West) totalling 360 degrees, then each direction spans 90 degrees. Thus, each direction has a midpoint range of 45 degrees to either side.
The classical Hanafi text Al-Bahr Al-Raa’iq further explains that a person outside Makkah is considered as facing the Qiblah if some portion of the face remains oriented toward the Kaʿbah. If the deviation (i.e. 45 degrees or less) does not cause the entire face to turn away to a different direction, the Salah remains valid. [1]
The 45‑degree leeway is not explicitly mentioned in Classical Hanafi Fiqh texts, but rather it is a contemporary scholarly guideline that precisely quantifies the margin of error allowable when calculating the Qiblah direction beyond Makkah.
One must still make their best effort to determine the correct Qiblah direction. The 45‑degree guideline simply accounts for unintentional error in estimation, not deliberate negligence.
Only Allah ﷻ knows best.
Written by Mufti Sakib Shadman
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
References:
[1]
قَوْلُهُ: وَلِغَيْرِهِ إصَابَةُ جِهَتِهَا) أَيْ لِغَيْرِ الْمَكِّيِّ فَرْضُهُ إصَابَةُ جِهَتِهَا وَهُوَ الْجَانِبُ الَّذِي إذَا تَوَجَّهَ إلَيْهِ الشَّخْصُ يَكُون مُسَامِتًا لِلْكَعْبَةِ أَوْ لِهَوَائِهَا إمَّا تَحْقِيقًا بِمَعْنَى أَنَّهُ لَوْ فَرَضَ خَطًّا مَنْ تِلْقَاءِ وَجْهِهِ عَلَى زَاوِيَةٍ قَائِمَةٍ إلَى الْأُفُقِ يَكُونُ مَارًّا عَلَى الْكَعْبَةِ أَوْ هَوَائِهَا وَإِمَّا تَقْرِيبًا بِمَعْنَى أَنْ يَكُونَ ذَلِكَ مُنْحَرِفًا عَنْ الْكَعْبَةِ أَوْ هَوَائِهَا انْحِرَافًا لَا تَزُولُ بِهِ الْمُقَابَلَةُ بِالْكُلِّيَّةِ بِأَنْ بَقِيَ شَيْءٌ مِنْ سَطْحِ الْوَجْهِ مُسَامِتًا لَهَا؛
Kitab Al-Bahr Al-Raa’iq, Daar Al-Kutub Al-Islaamiyyah, 1252. Vol.1 p.300.
[2]
وَإِنْ كَانَ نَائِيًا عَنْ الْكَعْبَةِ غَائِبًا عَنْهَا يَجِبُ عَلَيْهِ التَّوَجُّهُ إلَى جِهَتِهَا، وَهِيَ الْمَحَارِيبُ الْمَنْصُوبَةُ بِالْإِمَارَاتِ الدَّالَّةِ عَلَيْهَا لَا إلَى عَيْنِهَا، وَتُعْتَبَرُ الْجِهَةُ دُونَ الْعَيْنِ
Badaai’ Al-Sanaai’, Daar Al-Kutub Al-‘Ilmiyyah, 1910. Vol.1 p.118.
[3]
فللمكي) وكذا المدني لثبوت القبلة في حقه بالنص (فرضه) أي الاستقبال (إصابة عينها) أي عين القبلة التي هي الكعبة سواء كان معاينا لها أو لا كما دل عليه الإطلاق لكن الأصح أن حكم من كان بينه وبينها بناء حكم الغائب
Kitab al-Nahr al-Fa’iq Sharh Kanz al-Daqa’iq, Dar al-Kutub al-’Ilmiyyah, 1st ed., Vol.1 p.191.