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Fatwa CenterPraying while being wrongly informed about the direction of the Qiblah
Question
Assalmuleykum please clarify the following ruling.
On her first day of relocating house in a new city a Muslim woman asked her Muslim neighbour (who appeared to be sincere) about the direction of the Qiblah after her husband had left to pray in the Masjid. She prayed in the direction indicated by the neighbour. After the husband came back they realized that she had prayed in the wrong direction.
a. What is the ruling on the prayer she already prayed?
b. What should the husband have done if he had come in the house and found his wife still praying facing the wrong direction. And then what should she have done?
c. What should they do relative to the neighbor who gave the wrong information?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
The scholars 
have different opinions about the ruling on someone who prayed in during residence to a direction other than the Qiblah either by Ijtihaad (the exercise of Judgment) or acting according to someone who gave him wrong information, whether or not he is obliged to make it up.
In order to be on the safe side, it is better for that woman to make up that prayer which she had performed to a direction other than the Qiblah to avoid the difference of opinion because some scholars are of the view that it is an obligation for her to make up the prayer and also to be sure that she is acquitted from sin.
However, if she knew during the prayer that the person who informed her about the direction of the Qiblah was wrong in her/his information, then she should have stopped the prayer and performed it again while facing the direction of the Qiblah. According to the second opinion of the scholars, she should have turned [while in the prayer] to the right direction as soon as she knew it and she is not obliged to make it up. However, in order to be on the safe side, it is better to make up the prayer as we already mentioned.
As regards her husband, he should have drawn her attention to her mistake if he saw her praying to a direction other than the Qiblah because religion is advice.
With regard to that woman [who told her about the direction of the Qiblah], she should be advised and told that she was wrong in her information. If she is excused, like if she had an illusion when she gave information, or that she made a slip of the tongue when she said that without intentionally lying, then one must accept her excuse. But if she deliberately lied, then she should be advised to repent to Allaah and regret this sin, because this is cheating a Muslim and lying to him/her about a religious matter, so it is one of the most heinous lies.
Allaah Knows best.
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