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Samt (direction, bearing) and facing the qibla

السَّمْت

In the lexicon samt means a direction or aim, and musamata means facing or being opposite; one who faces the qibla is said to have musamata it. It also means following the right path and the bearing of the good, and tasmit means invoking blessing on a sneezer. 1 The technical sense does not depart from this. Facing the qibla is, by agreement of the jurists, a condition for the validity of prayer for one able to do it. 2

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Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Global / Diaspora
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Worship and the pillarsEthics and character

Summary

In the lexicon samt means a direction or aim, and musamata means facing or being opposite; one who turns toward the qibla is said to face it (sammata al-qibla). The word also means following the truth and guidance, and the bearing of the good; tasmit means invoking blessing on one who sneezes. 1 The technical sense does not depart from the lexical one. 1

Related terms

Istiqbal (facing) and muhadhat (being in line with) are synonyms of musamata the qibla. 2

Ruling

The jurists agree that facing the qibla is a condition for the validity of prayer for one able to do it, on the basis of the verse in al-Baqara (144) directing the face toward the Sacred Mosque. The details are in the entry on facing the qibla. 2

People and things also explored

Openness as against secrecy in acts of worship, charity and public notice (alaniya)· Deliberate act (amd), as against error, and its rulings· Wounding an animal that cannot be taken (aqr) and its effect on lawfulness and liability· Honey: its medicinal use and zakat (asal)· Resolve and its legal effect (azm)· Shahwa (desire: its effect on touch and ablution, on fasting and pilgrimage, on looking, on marriage by touch and on the breaking of the marriage bond)· Shakk (doubt in law: its kinds, the rule that certainty is not removed by doubt, and its effect on worship, contracts, penalties and evidence)· Halq (shaving and cutting hair)

Sources

  1. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.9822
  2. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.9823
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Samt (direction, bearing) and facing the qibla”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/samt/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.

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Ideas

Beliefs, concepts, sciences and schools, explained in plain words. Related

Openness as against secrecy in acts of worship, charity and public notice (alaniya)

In the lexicon, alaniya comes from proclaiming and showing a thing, and is the opposite of secrecy. Public voice (jahr) is narrower than openness, and secrecy is what is hidden in the heart. Acts of worship divide by openness: some are prescribed to be public, such as the call to prayer, the sermon, jihad and enjoining good; some are better kept private, such as reciting silently in the silent prayer; and some may be either, such as charity. An obligatory alms-giving is better shown when there is no fear of showing off, so that others may follow it, while a voluntary gift is better hidden where display is feared. The faults of narrators, witnesses and those entrusted with charities and endowments must be made public when they affect their fitness, and the scholars hold this is not forbidden backbiting. The judge is recommended to proclaim the restraint of a bankrupt and to call witnesses to it, and one Shafi'i view makes it obligatory.