Feet towards Qiblah while sleeping?
Question
Is it permissible to face the feet towards the Qiblah and sleep? M bed is positioned in such a way that the leg side of the bed faces the Qiblah. Due to limited space, I cannot change the direction of the bed
Answer
The Ulama have considered it to be a gesture of disrespect to stretch one’s feet towards the Qiblah whilst awake or sleeping. As a gesture of respect for the Qiblah, you should try to avoid facing your legs towards the Qiblah. If your bed cannot be repositioned, try to angle your legs slightly or retract them so that they do not face the Qiblah directly. If your feet happen to face the Qiblah whilst you are asleep, you will not be sinful since this is not in your control. Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said:
“The pen is raised for three types of people (i.e.; they are not accountable for their deeds), a person who is sleeping until he wakes up, a child until he becomes Baligh and an insane person until he gains sanity” (Abu Dawood, Hadith #: 4405, Narrated by Ali)
And Allah Knows Best
- Answered by
- Mufti Suhail Tarmahomed
- Checked by
- Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Fatawa SA is an independent, read-only index of fatawa already published by Jamiatul Ulama KZN. It is not a fatwa service. For your own situation, ask the issuing Darul Ifta directly.