Is It Haram to Sleep with Your Feet Facing the Qibla? Read This!

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Is It Haram to Sleep with Your Feet Facing the Qibla? ~ Hi all readers! Are you looking for an explanation about sleeping with your feet facing the Qibla? If your answer is “Yes”, congratulations! Now you are reading the right article. Why? Because that is what I will explain in this article. As Muslims, we must know that. That's why I wrote this article. So, you should read it to the end!

Specifically, there are three important points about “is it haram to sleep with your feet facing the Qibla?” which I will explain now. The three important things I mean are as follows:

Meaning of Haram to Sleep with Your Feet Facing the Qibla

The first important thing about “is it haram to sleep with your feet facing the Qibla?” What I will explain now is the meaning of the phrase "it is haram to sleep with your feet facing the Qibla". I want you to understand that so that you understand the focus of our discussion now.

If we look at the phrase "it is haram to sleep with your feet facing the Qibla", then there are two important things that we must understand. Two important things I mean are as follows:

Meaning of Haram

The meaning of "Haram" in Arabic is forbidden. We can find an explanation about it in the following Quranic verse:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ حَرَّمَهُمَا عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ

… verily Allah has forbidden both of them to the disbelievers. (Al-A'raf: 50).

The "Haram" in Islamic legal literacy has two meanings as follows:

مَا طَلَبَ الشَّارِعٌ تَرْكُهُ عَلَى وَجْهِ الْحَتْمِ وَالْإِلْزَامِ

Something that Shari' (Allah and the Prophet Muhammad) requires to be abandoned for sure.

مَا يُثَابُ تَارِكُهُ اِمْتِثَالاً ، وَيَسْتَحِقُّ الْعِقَابَ فَاعِلُهُ

Something that if left by someone, then that person will get a reward and if he does, then he he will be punished.

The Meaning of Sleep with Your Feet Facing the Qibla

The meaning of sleep with your feet facing the Qibla is very simple, that you sleep and your feet are facing the Qibla. Specifically, the Qibla referred to here is the Kaaba.

So, we can understand “haram to sleep with your feet facing the Qibla” as the prohibition of sleeping with your feet facing the Qibla.

But, in general, if we find someone explaining that it is haram to sleep with your feet facing the Qibla, then it means that it is something that is not allowed in Islam. But if we find someone asking about it is haram to sleep with your feet facing the Qibla, then it means that the person is asking whether it is permissible or not to be done in Islam.

That's a brief explanation of the meaning of haram to sleep with your feet facing the Qibla that we must understand.

Hadith About Qibla

The second important thing about “is it haram to sleep with your feet facing the Qibla?” what I will explain here is the hadith about Qibla. The hadith I mean is as follows:

عَنْ سَلْمَانَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ : لَقَدْ نَهَانَا رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنْ نَسْتَقْبِلَ الْقِبْلَةَ بِغَائِطٍ أَوْ بَوْلٍ ، أَوْ نَسْتَنْجِيَ بِالْيَمِيْنِ ، أَوْ أَنْ نَسْتَنْجِيَ بِأَقَلٍّ مِنْ ثَلَاثَةِ أَحْجَارٍ ، أَوْ نَسْتَنْجِيَ بِرَجِيْعٍ أَوْ عَظْمٍ . رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ

From Salman radliyalahu anhu, he said, "The Messenger of Allah (Prophet Muhammad) sallallahu alaihi wa sallam has forbade us not to face the Qibla when we are defecating or urinating, [he forbade us] to wash with the right hand, [he forbade us to] wipe with using less than three stones, [he forbade us] to wipe with feces or bones." The hadith was narrated by Muslim.

عَنْ أَبِيْ أَيُّوْبَ الْأَنْصَارِيِّ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ : وَلَا تَسْتَقْبِلُوْا الْقِبْلَةَ بِغَائِطٍ أَوْ بَوْلٍ وَلَكِنْ شَرِّقُوْا أَوْ غَرِّبُوْا . رَوَاهُ السَّبْعَةُ

From Abu Ayyub al-Ansari radliyallahu anhu, "You must not face the Qibla if you are defecating or urinating. But facing east or west!" The hadith is narrated by seven people (Ahmad, al-Bukhari, Muslim, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa'i, Abu Daud, Ibn Majah).

That's the hadith about Qibla that we must understand.

Is it Haram to Sleep with Your Feet Facing the Qibla?

The third important point about “is it haram to sleep with your feet facing the Qibla?” what I'm going to explain here is a specific answer. In other words, does Islam forbid Muslims from doing that?

All readers! If we read the two hadiths about Qibla above, then we will not find a specific explanation about sleeping with your feet facing Qibla. What is explained in the two hadiths above is the prohibition of urinating and defecating facing Qibla. I personally haven't found an explanation about sleeping with your feet facing the Qibla. It is true, there are some scholars of Islamic law who strongly discourage Muslims from doing so. The reason is that it is considered a bad deed because it is considered disrespectful to the Kaaba.

So, the specific answer is that sleeping with your feet facing the Qibla is not haram but highly discouraged.

That's a brief explanation of "is it haram to sleep with your feet facing the Qibla?". Do you understand? If you want to ask, please ask.

I think that's enough for this article. May be useful. Amen.

See you again in the next article!