Question:
If a Masjid is built in such a way that it deviates from the Qibla between 17 and 23 degrees, should the Masjid committee correct it or leave it as is? Also, if the Masjid expands, can they leave the direction as is or should they change it towards the Qibla?
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer
It is disliked to deliberately deviate from the Qibla without a valid excuse even though the prayer would still be valid as long as the one praying does not deviate more than 45 degrees on either of the two sides (right or left). There is no need to demolish the Masjid and rebuild it all over again for the sake of making it face the Qibla. Simply rearranging the rows inside would suffice.
If you intend on expanding, you should build the extension in such a way that the rows would face towards the Qibla.
Fatawa Hindiya: v. 1, p. 70 (DKI); Ahsanul Fatawa: v. 2, p. 313 (HM Saeed); Fatawa Mahmudia: v. 9, 241 (Darul Isha’at); Imdadul Fatawa: v. 1, p. 197 (Maktaba Darul Uloom Karachi); Kifayatul Mufti: v. 3, p. 175 (Darul Isha’at)
Only Allah knows best
Written by Maulana Mohammad Ahsan Osmani
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham