I was traveling inside Egypt; when it was time to pray. I became confused because I could not determine the correct direction of the qibla. I was told that I can determine the correct direction by turning my left ear towards the east. Is this true? Does this rule apply to all the regions inside Egypt? What is the ruling if it is difficult to determine the direction of the qibla?

Turning towards the qibla [direction of prayer] is one of the conditions for the validity of prayer; Allah Almighty said:

So turn your face toward al-Masjid al-Haram. And wherever you [believers] are, turn your faces toward it [in prayer] [Qur'an 2:144].

A Muslim must try to determine the direction of qibla by himself or ask experts; he is to exert himself to determine the direction of the qibla and then pray.

It is true that one can determine the direction of the qibla in Egypt by turning his left ear towards the east. However, it does not apply to all the regions inside Egypt but only as far as Minia governorate; for anywhere beyond that, it is necessary to turn further east anywhere beyond that limit.

Allah the Almighty knows best