Muslims that the prohibition in this regard is not limited to the person relieving himself being aligned with the Ka‘bah along a straight line. Rather, the prohibition is broader than that. Facing the qiblah is commanded in one circumstance, just as it is forbidden in another. Although a prohibition may encompass what a command does not, this is consistent with his saying:

“Whatever lies between east and west is qiblah.”

Moreover, making religion dependent on this leads the Muslim community into disputes and disagreements over its religion, whereas Allah has forbidden division and disagreement. Most people have no precise knowledge of this; they merely follow those who have determined it approximately. Exact determination in this matter is either impossible or exceedingly difficult, and the Sharia does not impose such requirements.

Among those who claim expertise in calculation and knowledge of this matter, you will find that most make erroneous statements. When asked for evidence for their claims, they fall back on unverified premises and reports from people whose accounts cannot be trusted. The jurists who have mentioned some of these matters received them from those people without examining them rigorously. Thus, the followers of both groups ultimately rely on others in a way that involves error in many instances. One then claims that the qiblah he has determined is correct, rather than the one determined by the other, while the other claims the opposite. Eventually, people split into factions and groups. All of this is among the things Allah and His Messenger have forbidden.

The reason for this is that they have introduced into their religion what does not belong to it and prescribed religious practices for which Allah has given no permission. They have therefore disagreed over the innovation they themselves prescribed, because it