Is a traveler's prayer valid on an airplane if he prays without knowing the direction of the Qiblah, and there is no one available to determine its direction for him?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
A traveler on an airplane may perform supererogatory (nafl) prayers facing any direction, without needing to face the Qiblah, following the example of the Prophet (peace be upon him). As for obligatory (fard) prayers, it is necessary to face the Qiblah and to perform bowing (ruku') and prostration () if possible. If the time for an obligatory prayer comes while on the plane and it is possible to combine it with another prayer, then he should delay it to combine it with the subsequent prayer. He must ask about the direction of the Qiblah; otherwise, his prayer is not valid.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/11282
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 11282
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy