or turn their backs toward when defecating or urinating is the same qiblah that he commanded worshippers to face in prayer. He, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“What lies between east and west is qiblah.”

Al-Tirmidhī said: “This is an authentic hadith.”

Several Companions likewise stated this, including ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, ʿAlī ibn Abī Tālib, Ibn ʿAbbās, Ibn ʿUmar, and others. No disagreement on this matter is known from any of the Companions. The imams of the established schools of law also explicitly stated this, and their statements on the matter are well known.

Later jurists have reported two positions on this matter within the school of Ahmad and other schools. I have examined Ahmad’s statements on this subject and found them consistent, without any disagreement. Differences are likewise reported within the schools of Mālik, Abū Hanīfah, and al-Shāfiʿī, but upon careful examination, these do not constitute a real disagreement.

Rather, whoever says that a person should use his best judgment to pray toward the Kaaba itself, or that his obligation is to face the Kaaba itself according to his best judgment, is correct. Whoever says that a person should use his best judgment to pray in the direction of the Kaaba, or that his obligation is to face the qiblah, is also correct.

This is because they agree that whoever can see the Kaaba must pray facing it. They also agree that the closer worshippers are to it, the shorter their row will be compared with the rows of those farther away. This holds true of anything one faces. Thus, the row close to the Kaaba does not extend beyond its width. If it were longer,