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What is the ruling on praying aboard a ship when the Qiblah direction changes due to its rotation, and is it obligatory to wait for the ship to stop rotating before praying?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

If the ship's rotation ends before the time for the prayer expires, it is permissible to delay the prayer to perform it with tranquility and facing the Qibla. However, if the rotation does not end before the time expires, it is not permissible to delay the prayer beyond its prescribed time. One should pray facing the Qibla; if the ship turns away from the Qibla, then you should turn towards it yourself if possible. Otherwise, pray in the direction the ship is facing due to your inability. Malik said, and Ibn al-Qasim agreed, that if they are unable to turn with the ship, their prayer is valid.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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