And our evidence is the saying of Allah Almighty: {And wherever you are, turn your faces toward it} (36). The one praying inside it or upon its roof is not facing its direction. As for the optional prayer, its foundation is on ease and leniency, as evidenced by the performance of it while sitting and toward a direction other than the qibla while traveling on a mount.

Section: The optional prayer is valid inside the Kaaba and upon its roof. We know of no disagreement regarding this, because the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) prayed two rak'as inside the House (37). However, if one prays facing the door or upon the roof, and there is something of the construction of the Kaaba in front of him connected to it, his prayer is valid. If there is nothing upright in front of him, or if there is loose brick in front of him that is not built into the structure, or timber that is not nailed into it, then our companions said: His prayer is not valid, because he is not facing anything of it. If the timber is nailed and the brick is built into the structure, his prayer is valid, because that is a part of it. The better view is that it is not a condition that something of it be in front of him, because the obligatory act is to face its location and its air space, not its walls, as evidenced by the fact that if the Kaaba were demolished, prayer toward its location would be valid. Likewise, if one prays upon a high mountain that is outside the parallel of its position, his prayer toward its air space would be valid, and so it is here.

Section: There are two narrations regarding prayer in a usurped location. The first is that it is not valid. This is one of the two opinions of Al-Shafi'i. The second is that it is valid. This is the opinion of Abu Hanifa and Malik, and the second opinion of Al-Shafi'i, because the prohibition does not return to the prayer itself, and thus it does not prevent its validity, just as if one prays while seeing a drowning person whom it is possible to save but he does not save him, or a fire that he is capable of extinguishing but he does not extinguish it,