al-Masjid al-Haram do not have valid prayers, because we can see with our own eyes that many of them are not facing the Kaʿbah itself. They face in its general direction, but do not face it precisely: one finds the row extending in a straight line, with some facing to the right of the Kaʿbah, some to its left, and some facing it exactly. This matter is problematic, since a person in the last rows is certainly unable to see the Kaʿbah, and cannot claim that he has faced it precisely. At times, he sees darkness and a dark outline and says, “This is the Kaʿbah itself,” then prays; yet when he finishes with the salām, he finds the Kaʿbah to his right or to his left. This occurs frequently.

However, I have not seen any scholar state that the obligation of one inside the mosque is merely to face its direction, except for a view mentioned in Subul al-Salam: Commentary on Bulugh al-Maram, which its author did not attribute to anyone (1). Rather, he arrived at it through his own juristic reasoning. If no one before him held this view, then it is not to be accepted, for what is well known from the statements of all the scholars is that whoever is able to see it is obliged to face the Kaʿbah itself precisely (2).

He must face the Kaʿbah itself with his entire body. Thus, if it were supposed that the right side of his face was aligned with the Kaʿbah while the left side lay beyond it, his prayer would not be valid. His entire orientation must be directed toward the Kaʿbah itself. This is because it is possible for him to orient himself with certainty, and so this is obligatory for him. Moreover, the basic principle is that one must face the House—that is, the structure itself—not the entire mosque. Otherwise, it would be valid for us to say that one who prays toward the side