14. The Qibla

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ishaq ibn Abdullah ibn AbiTalha that Rafiibn Ishaq, a mawla of the family of ash-Shifa who wasknown as the mawla of Abu Talha, heard Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, one of thecompanions of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, say, while he was in Egypt, "By Allah! I don't know how todeal with these lavatories." The Messenger of Allah, may Allah blesshim and grant him peace, said, "When you go to defecate or urinate, donot expose your genitals towards the qibla, and do not put your backto it." Yahya related to me from Malik from one of the Ansar that theMessenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbadedefecating or urinating while facing the qibla. Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said from Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Habban from his paternal uncle, Wasi ibn Habban, that Abdullah ibn Umar said, "People say, 'When you sit to relieve yourself, do not face the qibla or the Bayt al-Maqdis.' " Abdullah continued, "I went upon top of a house of ours and saw the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, (squatting) on two unfired bricks facing the Bayt al-Maqdis, relieving himself." Ibn Umar added, "Perhaps you are one of those who pray folded on their haunches." Wasi replied, "I don't know, by Allah!" Malik said that he meant someone who, when he prostrated, kept his body close to the ground. Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi from Abdullah ibn Umarthat the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,saw spittle on the wall of the qibla and scraped it off. Then he wentup to the people and said, "Do not spit in front of you when you arepraying, because Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, is in front of youwhen you pray." Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa from hisfather from A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, mayAllah bless him andgrant him peace, that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace, saw spittle, or mucus or phlegm, on the wall of the qibla andscraped it off. Yahya related to me from Malik from Abdullah ibn Dinar thatAbdullah ibn Umar said, "On one occasion when the people were prayingsubhat Quba a man came to them and said, 'A piece of Qur'an was sentdown to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace, last night, and he was ordered to face the Kaba, so face it.'They had been facing ash-Sham, so they turned round and faced theKaba.'' Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said that Said ibnal-Musayyab said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him andgrant him peace, prayed towards the Baytal-Maqdis for sixteen monthsafter arriving in Madina. Then the qibla was moved, two months beforethe battle of Badr. " Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Umar ibn al-Khattabsaid, "Any direction that is between east and west can be taken as aqibla if the person praying is face-on to the House." Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Rabah and Ubaydullahibn Abi Abdullah Salman al-Agharr from Abu Hurayra that the Messengerof Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "A prayer inthis mosque of mine is better than a thousand prayers in any othermosque, except the Masjid al-Haram (in Makka)." Yahya related to me from Malik from Khubayb ibn Abd ar-Rahmanfrom Hafs ibn Asim from Abu Hurayra or from Abu Said al-Khudri thatthe Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,"What is between my house and my mimbar is one of the meadows of theGarden, and my mimbar is on my watering-place (al-Hawd)." Yahya related to me from Malik from Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr fromAbbad ibn Tamim from Abdullah ibn Zayd al-Mazini that the Messenger ofAllah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "What is betweenmy house and my mimbar is one of the meadows of the Garden." Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Abdullahibn Umar said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, said, 'Do not forbid the female slaves of Allah from (goinginto) the mosques of Allah.' " Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard from Busr ibnSaid that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace, said, "None of you women should use perfume when you arepresent at the isha prayer." Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said that Atikabint Zayd ibn Amr ibn Nufayl, the wife of Umar ibn al-Khattab, used toask Umar ibn al-Khattab for permission to go to the mosque. He wouldkeep silent, so she would say, "By Allah, I will go out, unless youforbid me," and he would not forbid her. Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said from Amra bintAbd ar-Rahman that A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah blesshim and grant him peace, said, "If the Messenger of Allah, may Allahbless him and grant him peace, had seen what women do now, he wouldhave forbidden them to go into the mosques, just as the women of theBani Israil were forbidden." Yahya ibn Said said that heasked Amra, "Were the women of the Bani Israil forbidden to go intothe mosques?" and she said, "Yes."