What if I prayed in the wrong qibla direction?

Allah knows you tried

Facing the qibla is a condition of prayer, but Allah only asks for what you can do. The Quran reminds us:

Many commentators linked this verse to situations where the direction was unclear, such as travel or darkness. If you checked a compass, an app, or asked someone, and still got it wrong, you did what was required. See What is the qibla?

If you notice during the prayer

When the qibla was changed from Jerusalem to the Kaaba, the people at the Quba mosque were in the middle of Fajr when a man told them the news. They turned around toward the Kaaba while still praying and completed it (Sahih al-Bukhari 403). So if you realise mid-prayer that you're facing the wrong way, turn to the right direction and continue. No need to start over.

When scholars say to repeat

• No effort at all: if you just guessed without checking when you easily could have, many scholars say repeat the prayer, even if you happened to be close.
• Known error, still in time: some Shafi'i scholars say that if you become certain of a big error while the prayer time is still in, repeating is better. Most scholars don't require it.
• Small differences: being a few degrees off doesn't matter. Far from Mecca, you only need the general direction.

Months of prayers in the wrong direction?

This is a common worry for converts who set up their prayer corner before learning how to check properly. If you honestly believed you were facing the qibla, those prayers are accepted, in sha Allah. Don't burden yourself with making up weeks of prayers; correct it from now on. Allah rewards sincerity, and He does not hold you responsible for what you didn't know.

To avoid it in future, check with two methods, and calibrate your phone away from metal and magnets. See Can I use a qibla app to find the prayer direction?