Is it bad to face the Qibla in the Toilet?

 

Question: Is it bad to face the Qibla in the Toilet?

Walaikum assalam,

In the Name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,

Imam `Ala’ al-Din al-Haskafi said in his Durr al-Mukhtar, commenting on al-Tumurtashi’s Tanwir al-Absar: [note: for clarity of translation, I have translated the text and commentary as one, for flow]

“It is also prohibitively disliked to face or give one’s back to the qibla [A: that is, its direction] in order to urinate or defecate. As for cleaning one’s private parts it is no [A: prohibitively] disliked to do so.

“This is true even in buildings, because the prohibition is not conditioned.

“If one sits facing the qibla, forgetfully, and then remembers, it is recommended to turn away if possible, because of the hadith related by al-Tabari, “Whoever sits to urinate facing the qibla and then, realizing this, turns away in exaltation for it shall not leave except with his sins being forgiving.” However, if it is not possible to turn away, there is nothing wrong with it.”

[A = gloss taken from Ibn Abidin’s supercommentary, Radd al-Muhtar, on the Durr al-Mukhtar]

And Allah knows best.

Wassalam,
Faraz Rabbani