Qat al-Jidal fi Ahkam al-Istiqbal lil-Kaba al-Musharrafa
- Author died
- 1156 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Bashāʾir al-Islāmiyyah lil-Ṭibāʿah wal-Nashr wal-Tawzīʿ
Qat' al-Jidal fi Ahkam al-Istiqbal lil-Ka'ba al-Musharrafa (Severing Dispute on the Rulings of Facing the Noble Kaaba) is a short legal treatise on Islamic jurisprudence by the Makkan Hanafi scholar Muhammad ibn Hasan al-'Ujaymi (d. 1156 AH / 1743 CE) addressing the rules of facing the Kaaba in congregational prayer and the conditions under which a follower may stand relative to the imam around the Sacred House .
Background and Purpose
The treatise was written in response to a practical query regarding whether a worshiper's prayer remains valid if he stands upon the black stones opposite the shadharwan (the sloped marble plinth at the base of the Kaaba) angled toward the Kaaba's door while following an imam praying at the designated Hanafi station (maqam) . The question had provoked considerable dispute among contemporary jurists and Hadith scholars, complicated further by a technical objection grounded in geometry (ilm al-handasa) . This objection suggested that drawing straight lines from the quadrants of a circular prayer row could create acute and obtuse angles against the flat sides of the Kaaba, ostensibly permitting a follower to stand closer to the Kaaba than his imam while facing a different direction . Prompted by persistent requests from scholars, al-'Ujaymi composed the work to resolve the matter decisively according to Hanafi school principles while keeping the exposition concise .
Contents and Core Arguments
Al-'Ujaymi begins by explaining the four-sided geometry of the Kaaba, noting that facing the physical structure is an individual obligation for those observing it directly, while those afar face its general direction . He categorizes the spatial alignments between an imam and a follower into real and constructive precedence (taqaddum) or subordination (ta'akhkhur), and classifies prayer rows around the sanctuary into three forms: square rows (tarbi'i) encircling the Kaaba walls, circular rows (dawri) curving along an arc, and straight rows (mustaqim) .
The author establishes the following key legal determinations:
- Differing sides: If the follower and the imam stand on different sides of the Kaaba, the follower's prayer and alignment behind the imam are unconditionally valid, even if the follower is physically closer to the Kaaba than the imam, because he is considered constructively behind him (muta'akhkhir hukman) .
- Same side: If both stand on the same side or in the same circular quadrant, the follower cannot precede the imam either physically or constructively; doing so invalidates the prayer .
- Facing a corner: When a follower stands directly aligned with a corner (rukn) closer to the Kaaba than the imam, al-'Ujaymi reviews the precautionary position of Hasan al-Shurunbulali in his gloss on al-Durar—adopted in al-Durr al-Mukhtar—which disallows it out of caution . Al-'Ujaymi refines this ruling: caution applies only if the corner splits the worshiper's chest between both directions; if the worshiper turns his chest entirely toward a side other than the imam's, the prayer is valid without doubt .
- Facing the shadharwan: Facing the shadharwan exclusively does not fulfill the requirement of facing the Kaaba according to the Hanafi school, because it is not counted as part of the Kaaba for the purpose of orientation in prayer .
To clarify these spatial distinctions, al-'Ujaymi incorporates an illustrative geometric diagram into the text, using square, circular, and straight lines along with red and black letters (alifs) to represent the Kaaba, the shadharwan, the four quadrants, and the positions of the imam and congregants .
Manuscript and Publication
The treatise is preserved in a manuscript in the Library of Mecca (Maktabat Makka al-Mukarrama, MS 6 Majami'), written in Ruq'ah script spanning seven pages with twenty-four lines per page . It was transcribed and owned by Shaykh Ja'far ibn Abi Bakr al-Lubani, and features a marginal endorsement (taqriz) by a contemporary Makkan scholar .
The work was edited by Yusuf Muhammad al-Subayhi at the suggestion of Muhammad ibn Nasir al-'Ajmi and published by Dar al-Basha'ir al-Islamiyya as part of the Liqa' al-'Ashr al-Awakhir bi-l-Masjid al-Haram series (no. 30) .
Answer updated