210. Is It Forbidden For Us To Face The Qiblah When Relieving Ourselves?

By Asma bint Shameem

The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam forbade us to face the qiblah when answering the call of nature, or to turn our back to it. 

That much is true. 

But how does it apply to us, *nowadays*?

Abu Hurayrah radhi Allaahu anhu narrated that the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said: 

“When one of you sits to relieve himself, let him not face towards the qiblah or turn his back towards it.”

[Muslim]

And Abu Ayyoob al-Ansaari narrated that the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:

“When you go to defecate, do not face towards the qiblah or turn your back towards it, rather face towards the east or the west.” (al-Bukhaari and Muslim)

But the scholars say that’s applicable if someone relieves themselves *outside*, like in an open field, jungle, desert, park, etc. 

It does NOT apply when one answers the call of nature INDOORS inside a bathroom.  

The scholars of the Standing Committee said:

“The correct scholarly view is that it is haraam to face towards the qiblah (the Ka’bah) or turn one's back towards it when relieving oneself *out in the open*, either urinating or defecating, but that is *PERMISSIBLE INSIDE buildings or where there is a screen between oneself and the Ka’bah, close in front if one is facing towards the qiblah and close behind if one has one's back to it, such as a saddle, a tree, a mountain and so on*. 

(Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 5/97) 

Proof

Ibn ‘Umar radhi Allaahu anhu said: 

“One day I climbed up on the roof of the house of Hafsah and the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam was relieving himself, facing towards Syria, with his back towards the Ka’bah.”(al-Bukhaari, Muslim)

And Marwaan al-Asfar said: 

“I saw Ibn ‘Umar radhi Allaahu anhu 

making his camel kneel facing towards the qiblah and urinating in that direction. 

I said, 
“O Abu ‘Abd al-Rahmaan, is that not forbidden? 

He said, 
“It is only forbidden to do that out in the open, but *if there is something between you and the qiblah that conceals you, there is nothing wrong with it.”* 
(Abu Dawood and al-Haakim; hasan by Ibn Hajar in al-Fath)

Also Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah radhi Allaahu anhu said: 

“The Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam forbade us to face towards the qiblah when urinating, then I saw him one year before he died, facing towards it.”  (Ahmad, Abu Dawood, al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Maajah)

The scholars reconciled between the ahaadeeth, and said that it’s forbidden to face the qiblah or turn the back to it when relieving oneself outside. But it does not apply when we’re sitting inside a bathroom within a building. 

The scholars of the Standing Committee said:

“This was also the view of a number of scholars who sought to reconcile the evidence by interpreting the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah and similar reports as referring to cases of relieving oneself out in the open without any screen, and the hadeeth of Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah and Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them) as referring to cases when one is *inside a building* or there is a *screen between oneself and the qiblah*. 

*From this it is known that it is PERMISSIBLE to face towards the qiblah or turn one’s back towards it when relieving oneself in any kind of building*.” (Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 5/97) 

That ruling applies if a building is already in place.

But if a building is under construction and it’s possible to build the bathroom facing away from the qiblah to the side, then that would be better. 

The scholars of the Standing Committee said:

“If the plans for the building have not yet been put into effect, and the toilets in the plan are facing towards the qiblah or have their backs towards it, then it is more on the safe side to alter them so that when relieving oneself one is not facing towards the qiblah or turning one’s back towards it, so as to avoid an area of scholarly dispute. But if they cannot be altered there is no sin involved because of the ahaadeeth quoted above.” 

(Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 5/97) 

And Allaah knows best.