Which direction to pray at sea
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa
Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be
upon all of you)
One of our
brothers/sisters has asked this question:
Salam Brother, My question is
what if someone work with the Navy & goes out to sea very often, which way
should he face for prayer where he doesnt have much
room to turn face in different direction? What if he pray
in only one direction because of very small clean and suitable room available
for the prayer? 2. Does that guy have to pray salaat-e-Qas`r
or regular prayer? 3.What if a Muslim, whose job is sailing and his ship is in
some other country and he have to fly to that country to catch up with the ship
while returning from leave, does he have to break his fasting because of Qas`r or he have to fast without Qas`r?
I am a shi`a muslim
and I will be very thankful to you if u answer these questions according to
both shia` and sunni point
of view. Thank u very much for
(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)
Answer:
Which direction to pray when at
sea?
In the name of Allah, We praise
Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide,
and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear
witness that there is no one (no idol,
no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam,
no dai,
nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that
Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
Your question: My question is what if someone work with the Navy & goes out to sea very often, which way should he face for prayer where he doesnt have much room to turn face in different direction?
If the believer is at sea, and the ship is apparently moving, the believer must strive to determine which
way or direction is the Qibla and start his prayer in
that direction.
Your question: What if he pray in only one direction because of very small clean and suitable room available for the prayer?
If the believer knows or can
determine the direction of the Qibla, it is not
permissible to intentionally pray in any other direction other than the Qibla.
Your question: Does that guy have
to pray salaat-e-Qas`r or regular prayer?
Since the brother is on a
journey, there is no harm if he prays Qasr or
shortened prayers.
Your question: What if a Muslim, whose job is sailing and his ship is in some other country and he have to fly to that country to catch up with the ship while returning from leave, does he have to break his fasting because of Qas`r or he have to fast without Qas`r?
The Merciful Lord has allowed
the believers who are on a journey to fast if they wish, or to leave their fast
if they so wish, and make up his fasts later when he is home. There is no harm if one chooses to fast; as
the praying of Qasr or shortened prayers have no
bearing on the validity of the fasts.
Your statement: I am a shi`a muslim and I will be very thankful to you if u answer these questions according to both shia` and sunni point of view.
Both the sects who call
themselves by their self-made names of Shia and
Sunni, believe in the One Lord of the Worlds as their Creator and Sustainer,
and believe that Prophet Mohamed (saws) is Allah’s Last and Final
Messenger. The same Allah and the same
Messenger (saws) have prescribed one law for the Ummah
of Islam; so in reality,
there is no such thing as Shia or Sunni
point of view.
The believers, who truly believe in Allah and the Last
Day, must leave aside their man-invented
sects and creeds, and be honored and
blessed to be recognized by the name that Allah Subhanah
has Himself chosen for the believers;
that is, ‘muslims’.
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 22 Surah Hajj
verse 77-78:O you who have believed, do ‘rukooh’ (bow down) and do ‘sajdah’
(prostration), and worship your Lord Allah Alone, and do righteous deeds: it
may be that you attain true success!
Exert your utmost for the cause of Allah, as one should. He has chosen you for His service, and has
not laid on you any hardship in your religion.
Therefore, be steadfast in the religion of your father Abraham. Allah had named you ‘muslims’ before this, and has named you (muslims) in this Quran also,
so that the Messenger may be a witness in regard to you, and you may be
witnesses in regard to the rest of mankind.
We humbly seek your forgiveness,
and the forgiveness of Allah Subhanah, if we have
said anything that might have hurt your feelings; for Allah is our witness, that was not our intention. Our only intention was to guide and state
what Allah Subhanah has Himself stated in the
Glorious Quran.
Whatever written of Truth and
benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error
is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He
is the Only Source of Strength.
Your Brother in Islam,
Burhan
Wister