Why do Muslims face the Kaaba when praying?
The qiblah was not always the Kaaba. For the first year and a half after the Hijrah, Muslims faced Jerusalem. The change — and the reason for the change — is recorded in Sūrat al-Baqarah.
2 passages from 2 books in the library
The classical approach.
These passages are drawn from 2 books by Imam al-Ghazali — part of the classical Sunni tradition that carries over a thousand years of reflection on the Qurʾān, the authentic Sunnah, and the consensus of the early community. Nothing below is a paraphrase. The words are the scholars' own, translated from the original Arabic manuscripts.
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"The hadith about people turning to face the qibla and changing the cloak during the prayer for rain is narrated by Abdullah bin Zayd al-Mazini."
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"Allah the Almighty will hear what they said and will order that those in the fire from the people of the Qibla be brought out."
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