What Should Be Done About The Mosques Which Were Built Toward The Wrong Direction?

What should be done about the mosques which were built toward the wrong direction?

It is one of the fardhs of prayer for those who can see the Ka’bah to turn to the Ka’bah directly and for those who do not see it to turn to the direction of the Ka’bah (istiqbal al-qiblah) while performing a prayer. Turning to the Ka’bah from distant places may be implemented approximately. The significant point in this regard is that the face of the worshipper should not turn aside from the direction of the Ka’bah completely. A person is deemed to have turned to the Ka’bah as long as the Ka’bah or its upright direction to the skies stays within the face angle of him/her (al-Fatawa al-Hindiyyah, I, 70).

According to this, face of a person who establishes prayer will not turn aside from the direction of the Ka’bah completely unless he turns an exact 45 (forty five) degrees directly to the left or right. Therefore, it does not pose a risk for a valid prayer. However, a person who performs prayer should try to identify the exact direction of the Ka’bah as much as s/he can.

Previous prayers established in the mosques whose qiblah directions partially deviate from the Ka’bah are valid. However, qiblah deviations should be corrected in the best possible way. In the event that this correction cannot be made, it is not permissible to hesitate abut the validity of the prayers to be established in such mosques. But people should pay utmost attention for preventing deviations from the qiblah direction while building new mosques.

Source: Presidency Of Religious Affairs The Turkey, High Board of Religious Affairs FATWAS