Find the Qibla for Prayer

For people of the Muslim faith, knowing the qibla, or direction of prayer, is very important. This direction is toward the Ka'bah in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. There are several methods that one can use to orient themselves in the correct direction when in an unfamiliar location.

Steps

  1. Know where in the world you are in relation to Makkah (Mecca). While the common misconception is that Muslims always pray facing east, that's only true if you're west of Makkah. In the US, it's roughly northeast. If you are in Japan you would face west-northwest, and if in South Africa, you would face north-northeast.

Using the sun

  1. Use the Determine-Direction-Using-the-Sun. For millennia, navigators have relied on the sun to know their direction. Simply knowing where the sun rises and sets can get you in the general direction of Mecca.

Using a sundial

  1. Make a sundial. Find level ground, and before noon, place a stick or other vertical object that's about 3 feet (1m) high.
    • Make a mark on the ground at the tip of the shadow.
    • Measure the length of the shadow, and draw a circle around the stick using the shadow length as the radius.
    • As the day progresses, the shadow will shorten and move away from the circle. It will eventually start to lengthen as the day wears on, and then touch the circle again. At that point, make another mark, and draw a line between the two marks you made.
    • The line is west to east, with the first point being west, the second being east.
    • Draw a line perpendicular to the west-east line, and this is your north-south line.

Using a watch

  1. Use a watch. Using any analog watch with an hour and minute hand will allow you to find directions.
    • In the northern hemisphere. Hold the watch horizontally, and point the hour hand towards the sun.
    • The direction that lies midway between the hour hand and 12 o'clock on your watch is south. From there, you can easily determine the other directions.
    • In the southern hemisphere. Hold the watch horizontally, and point the twelve o'clock mark at the sun.
    • The direction that lies halfway between 12 o'clock and the hour hand will be north.

Using a compass

  1. Use a Use-a-Compass. This tried and true method will not tell you where the Qiblah is located, but if you know where you are in relation to Makkah, it's far more accurate than a stick in the ground. More detailed instructions on how to find the Qibla using a compass can be found Find-the-Qibla-Direction-for-Prayer, or follow this:
    • Get yourself a Qibla compass.
    • Find out the direction to Mecca from you location.
      1. Hold out your compass flat, wait for the dial to settle. Turn towards the direction to Makkah for your location. Done.

Using advanced technology

  1. Use advanced technology.
    • There are over a dozen different iPhone or iPad apps that will use the built-in GPS and compass to point in exactly the correct direction no matter where in the world you are.
    • The internet has sites that will calculate the direction that is shortest distance to al Qiblah. For example, from Portland, Oregon, facing 17° from true north—north northeast— is a shorter distance than facing south-southeast

Tips

  • The exact geographical coordinates for the Kaaba are 21°25′21.15″N 39°49′34.1″E.
  • If traveling to an unfamiliar location or someplace outdoors, try to note your location beforehand, then use one of the aforementioned techniques to find the correct direction to Makkah.
  • If you have a PDA, there are some free Islamic software applications that can show you Al Qibla during day or at night, based on your location.
  • Prayer mats are available that contain a compass to help locate the Qibla.
  • You can use a service such as QiblaFinder to locate where the qibla is from different places around the world.
  • You can attend a local Mosque, which will face toward the Qibla or have lines on the ground showing you where to stand.
  • A Muslim is required to make his "best estimate" of qibla in case he is not sure. Hence, a layman who cannot be confident of these complex or technical methods, should be using a compass of some sort when it is easily available in cell phones, cars, and even dollar stores. However, in case a compass is not available, these other techniques could be used for estimation.

Warnings

  • The sun rises and sets in different places depending on the time of year (summer vs. winter) and your location on the globe. Also, finding direction using the sun becomes less reliable the closer you are to the equator.

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Sources and Citations

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