Determination of qibla online. Nine scientific methods for determining the direction of the qibla. Life and daily affairs of Muslims, depending on the location of the holy Kaaba

Allah Almighty said:

Meaning: " Wherever you come from, turn your face towards the Holy Mosque of Mecca (Masjid al-Haram). Wherever you find yourself, turn your faces towards her "(Surah al-Baqarah, 2:150).

Namaz must be performed by turning towards the holy Kaaba, which is located in the Sacred Mosque in the city of Mecca. All Muslims, during the performance of prayers and some other rituals of worship, turn their faces towards the Kaaba. The direction to the Kaaba from anywhere on the globe in Islam is called Qibla. It is clear that all these directions converge over the Kaaba, just as the meridians converge over the pole.

In the early years of the spread of Islam, the Qibla was the Masjid al-Aqsa (Quds Force), located in the city of Jerusalem. The change of Qibla from Quds to Mecca took place seventeen months after the Hijri, in the month of Shaban 2 Hijri, according to the following Qur'anic revelation:

Meaning: " We see the turning of your face across the sky, and We will turn you towards the Qiblah with which you will be pleased. Turn your face towards the Forbidden Mosque. And wherever you are, turn your faces towards her "(Surah 2 al-Baqarah, verse 144).

This happened in response to the statements of the Medina Jews that, they say, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and Muslims did not know where the qibla was and supposedly they taught them this. In response, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed to Allah that He would show the Muslims their Qiblah. In response, Allah showed him the direction of the new Qibla. It became the venerable Kaaba, located inside the Meccan mosque. Having learned about this, the Jews and Medina hypocrites began to express bewilderment at this. This, as we indicated above, is narrated in the Quranic verses (2: 142 -150).

Each mosque is oriented and laid out so that all worshipers face the Kaaba. At the beginning of the construction of mosques, astrologers were invited to provide Qiblah; later and at the present time, architects and others began to cope with this task, correctly determining the direction to the Kaaba.

Within a small area quite distant from the Kaaba (in Russia this can be any populated area), the divergence in the directions of the qibla is small, which makes it possible to spread the qibla from the mosque to the nearest prayer rooms and to other places for prayer using the parallel transfer method. In difficult cases, as well as in field conditions, methods of orientation by the Sun or by compass can be used.

Currently, many computer programs have also been developed to determine the qibla.

Islam is one of the youngest religions on the planet, it differs significantly from ancient religious beliefs and today has the largest number of followers around the world. Uninitiated or recent converts have great difficulty in observing all the daily rituals that devout Muslims are required to perform. It is especially difficult for many to determine the direction of the qibla, without which it is impossible to perform namaz and a host of other ritual actions. But this is a serious deviation from the rules, which is considered a sin in Islam. In our article we will tell you how to determine the direction of the qibla in different ways, and explain why this landmark is so important for the faithful.

Qibla: term and its meaning

The term “qibla” arose literally in parallel with the formation of Islam; literally translated from Arabic it means “that which is opposite.” Almost every Muslim knows that with its help you can determine where Arabia is located from anywhere in the world. Mecca (city) and the holy Kaaba are the direction towards which the faithful should perform prayer. This point is very important for any person who professes Islam. But these are far from the only actions that are regulated by the direction of the qibla.

Life and daily affairs of Muslims, depending on the location of the holy Kaaba

In order for the faithful to know exactly what to do in a given situation, the Prophet Muhammad left behind hadiths as reminders. The qibla is even mentioned in several of them. For example, this topic is discussed in the hadiths of Bara ibn Azib, Jabir ibn Abdallah, Amir ibn Rabiy. Thanks to these pious people, there is practically not a single moment left in the daily life of Muslims that has not been explained and described. So, let's look at the rituals and everyday actions that imply the need for information about which direction the qibla is located:

  • Burial of the dead. Hadiths determine the special position of the Muslim body during burial - it should be turned on the right side, facing the Kaaba.
  • Animal slaughter. If any Muslim plans to slaughter cattle, he must place the animal on its left side and turn its head towards Mecca.
  • Dream. Muslims must go to bed, strictly observing a ritual identical to putting the dead to bed. After all, every person may not wake up in the morning, therefore, according to the Koran, sleep is equivalent to death.
  • Treatment of natural needs. Believers are strictly forbidden to do this with their backs or faces towards Mecca.
  • Namaz. This is the most important daily action for which you need to know exactly the direction of the qibla. Since prayer is performed several times a day, and a person is constantly moving during this time, he must be able to receive reliable information about which side of the world Mecca is located.

Of course, these are not all the actions indicated in the hadiths. We have listed only the most common and interesting ones. However, there is a certain list of peculiar exceptions to the general rules when it is permissible not to look for the direction of the qibla during prayer. There are only two such cases:

  • During the journey. If you are on the road and the time comes to perform prayer or another action listed above, then the direction in which the transport is moving will be considered the qibla.
  • Danger or serious illness. In case you are threatened deadly danger, a terrible illness approaches or another critical situation arises, it is allowed to pray without focusing on Mecca.

We think that from all of the above you have already understood how important the qibla is in Islam. Almost anyone can determine its direction in the modern world without much difficulty. But where did this term come from and why is Mecca the main landmark? We will tell you about this now.

The emergence of the qibla

From the very first days of the emergence of Islam as a religion, a tradition arose of building mosques and performing all rituals, focusing on one direction. But originally it was the city of Quds (Jerusalem). It was considered a sacred place, and all believers, when determining the qiblah, turned to face it.

However, over time, a dispute arose between the Medina Jews and Muslims. The first constantly reproached the faithful for the fact that they and the Prophet Muhammad could not even independently determine the qibla and learned this art from the Jews. The Prophet turned to Allah with a request, and the Almighty heard him and received a new qibla. Now they had to face the holy Kaaba. Since that time, the direction has never changed, which is why it is so important, regardless of your location anywhere on the planet, to know where Mecca is located.

Qibla: how to determine the direction

Muslims know many ways to calculate the direction of the qibla. Some of them have been preserved since ancient times, others arose thanks to the technical achievements of our time. We have collected in this article the most detailed list of all known methods:

  • mosque;
  • compass;
  • nine scientific methods of Abdel-Aziz Sallam;
  • computer programs (“Qibla Compass”);
  • mechanical watches;
  • question to an authoritative person.

Since this is quite important, we will analyze each method separately.

Determining the qibla by mosque

If there is a mosque in your city, then you will not have problems determining the qibla. After all, initially every religious building in the Muslim world was built in such a way that all worshipers always face Mecca.

If you enter the mosque and look carefully, you will notice a small semicircular niche - the mihrab. It is from here that the imam leads the collective prayer. The niche is always oriented towards Mecca. Therefore, when praying in a mosque, you can always be sure that you are facing the right direction.

When there are a lot of people in the mosque, a prayer rug helps determine the qibla. Many of them have an arrow indicating the direction, signed with the word "qibla". This makes life much easier for Muslims who follow all the commandments of Allah. Also in many hotels around the world you can see signs with arrows pointing to Mecca.

It is interesting that in ancient times experienced astrologers were always involved in the construction of mosques, who could absolutely say in which direction the sacred Kaaba was located. Subsequently, these questions were addressed to architects, who, in addition to their main responsibility, did an excellent job of determining the direction of the qibla.

Now it is much easier to build mosques, because you can correctly indicate the direction using a variety of technical means that allow you to determine the location of Mecca in relation to a certain point on the ground with an accuracy of one degree.

It is interesting that among all Islamic mosques, there is one that stands out for its special characteristic - it has two qibla. We could not help but mention this miracle in our article.

Unusual building in Saudi Arabia

In Medina there is the Two Qibla Mosque, or Masjit Al-Qiblatain. This structure is one of a kind, because it has two mihrabs, which means it points to two qiblahs. The first niche is oriented towards Jerusalem, and the second towards Mecca. One of the most ancient Muslim legends is associated with this mosque.

During the life of the Prophet Muhammad, when Quds served as the qibla, he often performed namaz on the site of today's mosque. It is believed that it was here that the prophet prayed to Allah to send down a new qibla in connection with the protracted dispute between Muslims and Jews. Right while performing prayer, Muhammad received a revelation from the Almighty and instantly turned towards Mecca. All the worshipers immediately followed his example. Thus, before the eyes of many people, an important event took place - the change of the qibla. And the mosque, which has become a symbol of this significant change that touched the life of every believer, has two mihrabs.

The religious building itself is made in the best Muslim architectural traditions. It has strict geometric outlines, emphasized by two minarets and domes. Since the mosque is located on a slope, it is noticeable how the prayer hall moves from one level to another and consists of many arches. The false dome, symbolizing the ancient direction for prayer, is smoothly connected by a small gallery to the main domes and hall. This traces a description of the process of changing the qibla that occurred many years ago.

Externally, the mosque is not much different from most similar buildings. At the moment it has been reconstructed and is operational.

How to determine the direction of the qibla using a compass

This is one of the simplest and most accessible ways to determine where the holy Kaaba is located relative to you. After all, a compass is an item that is sold in many stores and costs very little money. In addition, many others are in one way or another connected with this method, which we will describe in the following sections of the article.

For example, you perform namaz in Moscow. How to determine which direction to face? It's simple. To pray, you need to know that relative to the inhabitants of central Russia, Mecca is located in the south. Therefore, you must take a compass and determine the cardinal directions, and then turn to the south. If you perform all these simple steps, you will always know the right direction.

What about other areas of our country and neighboring states? How can you find out, for example, the direction of the qibla using a compass in Makhachkala? This is an equally simple process: those living in the Caucasus, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan should look to the southwest. That is where Mecca is in relation to them.


For northwestern Russia and Ukraine, the direction of the qibla extends to the south. St. Petersburg has minor deviations from generally accepted calculations, but this is not a special violation. The hadiths indicate that prayer and rituals do not require accuracy down to degrees. It’s enough just to orient yourself correctly in space. How to determine the direction of the qibla without a compass? This is a fairly common question, and we will answer it.

Geographic map - an assistant in determining the qibla

If you don’t have a compass at hand, but a geographical map is in your hands, then you can easily cope with the task of determining the location of the Kaaba. Let's take the same example: you are performing namaz in Moscow and want to find the qibla. You just need to find two points on the map - Moscow and Mecca, and then use the cardinal directions to navigate to the south. Many true believers are confused by this particular point of the recommendation, because without a compass it is quite difficult to determine the cardinal directions. We will give you a hint:

  • Shadow at noon. If there is sun outside the window, then you need to go outside and turn your back to our luminary. The cast shadow will become the north indicator, with the right and left sides being east and west respectively. This rule applies when you are in the Northern Hemisphere. In the South, your shadow will point, on the contrary, to the south.
  • Polar Star. This ancient wayfinder for sailors and travelers can also be useful in finding the qibla. If the night sky is clear, then you can easily find the North Star, located in the tail of the constellation. If you draw a perpendicular from it to the ground, it will point you to the north. Behind you will be the south, on the right - the east, and on the left side - the west.

We hope that with the help of our tips you will always be able to easily determine the direction of the qibla.

Qibla and mechanical watches: a simple and affordable method

This method is closely related to the previous two, because you also need the sun and knowledge of where exactly you are in order to understand which side of the world you need to look for.

You need to place the clock on a flat surface so that the small hand points to the sun. The resulting angle between the hand and the twelve o'clock mark is divided into two equal parts, its bisector will point south. Moreover, keep in mind that until noon the south will be on the right side of the luminary, and after that it will be on the left. This method can be used from six o'clock in the morning to six o'clock in the evening.

Scientific work of Abdel-Aziz Sallam

It is especially difficult for Muslims living in America to determine the exact direction of the qibla. After all, the direction is usually calculated based on the shortest distance between two points by land. Therefore, there is no unity among American Muslims regarding the qibla. Sometimes prayer is performed relative to opposite ends of the world.

About seventeen years ago, an entire symposium was devoted to this serious issue, at which Abdel-Aziz Sallam, who devoted almost his entire life to the study of the qibla, spoke. He presented to the audience his scientific work, containing nine scientific methods that can be used in everyday life if you have certain knowledge:

  • Arithmetic. The rules for solving spherical triangles, as well as the sine of half angle formulas, apply here.
  • Trigonometric tables. They are used in two methods and are based on the calculations of the ancient Egyptians.
  • Celestial sphere. This method is ideal for navigators who must correlate the meridians and latitude of the Kaaba with the angle of inclination of the celestial sphere. The method described in scientific works the fifth is identical, but here the circle of the celestial sphere is used.
  • The sixth and seventh methods are based on taking the Kaaba as the starting point in navigational instruments.
  • Perpendicular to the sun. Twice a year our luminary becomes perpendicular to the Kaaba, this can be observed from different countries of the world. Therefore it is enough to see this phenomenon once and draw up approximate guidelines for yourself, so that in the future you will be able to always look towards Mecca.


  • Prayer card. It was specially compiled for residents of America and allows you to calculate the desired direction using the indicated angles.

It is worth noting that all such different methods are recognized as correct and can be used at any time.

Computer programs

The direction to the qibla during prayer can be determined by various computer programs. Now they are very popular and widespread, there are applications for smartphones and tablets that, when launched, show you where you need to turn your face when praying.


Despite the fact that these programs are very diverse, many Muslims summarize them under one name - “Qibla Compass”. After all, in any case, a drawn compass appears in front of you, the arrow of which points to the Kaaba. Typically, such programs have common characteristics:

  • sound notifications about the beginning of prayer;
  • compass;
  • audio recordings of texts from the Koran;
  • list of nearby mosques;
  • Muslim calendar and the like.

In principle, such programs make the life of the faithful significantly easier, because they can be used anywhere globe. Now this is practically the most accurate method of determining the qibla of all known.

Question for another Muslim

If you cannot find out the direction of the qibla on your own for one reason or another, then it is permissible to ask a question to a trustworthy Muslim. Many people are concerned about the fact that the person answering may also make a mistake and indicate the wrong direction. Keep in mind that in this case, someone else's mistake will not be considered a sin. You can safely perform namaz facing the indicated direction, but if you find out the correct direction, you should change it. And perform further rituals in the right direction.

It is interesting that if, as a result of any actions during prayer, you realize that you are making a mistake, then you must immediately turn your face in the right direction and continue your prayer.

A few words in conclusion

We hope that our article was useful to you and we have given all the answers to your questions related to the qibla. Now you can always perform namaz and other rituals facing the Kaaba. And this is correct, because this is exactly what Allah commanded to do through the Prophet Muhammad. But, trying to perform all actions correctly and in accordance with the Koran and Hadith, do not forget about the main thing. The life of a devout Muslim should be filled with spiritual purity and the desire to live according to the commandments of the Almighty, and if for some reason you cannot determine the direction of the qibla, do not be upset. The hadiths say that it is better to pray sincerely, not knowing where Mecca is, than to perform namaz without a spark of faith in the heart, but in the direction of the qibla.

Namaz was made obligatory in the miraj of the prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Praying five times a day clears the mind and brings peace. Prayer is a way of gratitude to the Almighty, reminds us of Him and helps us get through difficult moments. How to perform namaz is described in this article.

Steps


Time for five prayers

  • Fajr- morning prayer, performed between dawn and sunrise. Consists of two rakats of sunnah and two rakats of farz.
  • Zuhr- lunch prayer, performed between noon and until the shadow reaches the size of the objects. Consists of four rakats of sunnah, four rakats of farz, two rakats after farz.
  • Asr- pre-evening prayer, performed between the time the shadow reaches the size of objects and before sunset. Consists of four rakats of sunnah and four rakats of farz.
  • Maghreb- evening prayer, performed between sunset and until the glow disappears. Consists of three rakats of farz and two rakats after farz.
  • Isha"- night prayer, performed in the interval between the disappearance of the glow and until midnight. It consists of four rakats of farz, two rakats of sunnah and three rakats of witr.
  • Find a book with prayers, learn dua al-qunoot, attahiyat, salawat and some short surahs from there.
  • It is the responsibility of parents to teach prayer to their children. Education should begin at the age of seven. From the age of ten they must pray five times a day on a regular basis. From this age, children should be punished for leaving prayer.
  • Try to concentrate on prayer.
  • During a bow from the waist it is said “Subhana robbiyal Azym”, and during a bow to the ground “Subhana robbiyal Ala”. The difference is in the last word. Don't get confused.
  • If you are just learning, then first learn how to perform prayer and only then start performing it. Otherwise you will constantly make mistakes.
  • What should you say in the second rak'ah before bowing to the ground?
  • Eat right.
  • If you missed something from the prayer, then at the end of the prayer two bows are made for inattention (sajdah sahu). In the last rak'ah, after reading the attahiyat and salawat, give salaam (assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah) to the right side (without turning your head to the left) and then make 2 more additional prostrations, as shown in the eighth step. Then read attakhiyat, salauat again and give salam again in both directions (as described in step 11).
  • After completing the prayer, it is advisable to say “Astaghfirullah” three times (forgiveness for mistakes that may have been made in prayer).

Warnings

  1. There are disagreements in some minor points of prayer. Here are the main points of prayer performed by most Muslims. To find out where there is disagreement, ask knowledgeable people.
  2. If in any doubt, consult someone with knowledge. This article was written by an ordinary Muslim who is not a scholar.

One of the obligatory pillars of Islam that every Muslim must perform is praying five times a day (salat) to Allah Almighty at the prescribed time of day. At the same time, in order to perform namaz, certain conditions must be met. How to perform namaz correctly and what should every Muslim know before performing it?

How to read namaz correctly - preparation

Before starting prayer, it is necessary to perform a small (wudu) ablution or, if necessary, a complete ablution (ghusl).

In addition to ablution, the following conditions must also be met:

  • Vestment. For women, it is allowed to leave their feet, hands and face open. In this case, the head, including the hair, must be covered. Men's heads remain uncovered.
  • Prayer should be performed towards the Kaaba (Mecca, Saudi Arabia).
  • A specific time must be observed for a specific prayer.
  • You need to express your intention to perform namaz (in the shower).

If all of the above points are fulfilled, then you can begin to perform namaz.

How to read namaz correctly. Five obligatory daily prayers: names and times

  • Fajr - morning prayer. This salad is performed at dawn until full sunrise, when the sun completely crosses the horizon.
  • Zuhr - midday prayer. You can pray a few minutes after the sun has passed its zenith. The period in which you need to pray ends with the beginning of the Asr prayer.
  • Asr – pre-evening prayer. It starts approximately two hours before sunset and needs to be done before the sun begins to disappear below the horizon.
  • Maghrib - evening prayer. The evening prayer should be performed immediately after sunset, before the evening glow is still present.
  • Isha - night prayer. With the onset of late evening, when it is already completely dark outside, you can perform isha prayer. His time spans the entire night until dawn.

How to read namaz correctly - rules

Let's look at performing namaz using an example morning Fajr prayer(consists of 2 ra’kaats). It is important that the person praying reads the prayer silently or in a whisper.

  • Stand towards the Kaaba. Lower your arms along your body and you need to look at the floor, about a meter away from you. Don't close your eyes.


  • Then the arms are bent at the elbow, open palms are raised from yourself to ear level, the takbir is pronounced: “Allahu Akbar!” (Allah is Great!). In this case, the fingers should be connected together. After pronouncing takbir, you cannot do any actions that could disrupt the prayer, because it will not be taken into account by the Almighty (laughing, talking, looking around, scratching something, and so on).


  • Afterwards, the hands are connected on the stomach above the navel. In this case, the right hand is placed on the left, clasping it at the wrist. The first ra'kaat of prayer begins. Sana is read - praise to Allah:

“Subhanaka-llahumma wa-bi-hamdika wa-tabaraka-smuka wa-ta'ala jadduka wa jalla sana'uka wa-la 'ilaha gairuk" (“Glorified are You, O Allah, with Your Purity! Let us begin with praising You. Blessed is the Name Thine. Great is Thy Power. Mighty is Thy Glory. There is no god but Thee."


  • Then it is said: “A’uzu bi-l-lyakhi mina-sh-sheitani-r-rajim!” (“I resort to the protection of Allah from the cursed and rejected Shaitan!”).
  • Next, you need to read Surah Al-Fatihah (“The Opener”).

Bi-smi-llahi-r-rahmani-r-rahim.
Al-hamdu li-llahi rabbi-l-alamin.
Ar-rahmani-r-rahim.
Maaliki yawmi-d-din.
Iyyaka na'budu wa iyyaka nasta'in.
Ikhdina-s-siraata-l-mustakiim.
Siraata-l-lyaziina an'amta alaihim.
Gairi-l-magdubi aleikhim wa la-d-daaaalliin.

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds,
The Gracious, the Merciful,
Lord of the Day of Retribution!
You alone we worship and You alone we pray for help.
Lead us on the straight path,
the path of those whom You have blessed, not those on whom wrath has fallen, and not those who are lost.

  • After completing the opening sura, you need to say: “Amen!” and immediately another surah is read. This could be Surah “An-nas” (People), “Al-ikhlas” (Purification of Faith), “Al-falak” (Dawn) or any other by heart.
  • After the second sura, the takbir “Allahu Akbar” is again pronounced with a raise of hands and a bow (hand) is made. At the same time, open palms are lowered to the knees, and the following is said: “Subhana rabbiyal-azim!” (Glory to the Greatest Lord!) - 3 times.


  • Then, getting up, he says: “Sami’a-l-lahu liman hamidah!” (Allah hears those who praise Him!).
  • When fully erect: “Rabbana wa-laka-l-hamd!” (Our Lord, all praise is only to You) and takbir: “Allahu Akbar!”


  • After takbir, prostration (sujud) is made. It works as follows. Your knees begin to bend, then you need to stand on them, then lower your hands in front of you and touch your forehead and nose to the floor. Your hands should be clasped at ear level at this time. In this case, the feet remain on their toes. Pronounced: “Subhana rabbi-l-a’la!” (Glory to the Lord Almighty) – 3 times.


  • Then takbir and, without getting up, sit on your left leg, bending your foot under you with your toe inward, and straighten your right leg parallel to the floor. The palms are placed on the knees, the fingers are joined and the hands lie along the hips. Then, “Allahu Akbar” is said again and a second bow is made, repeating the phrase three times: “Subhana rabbiyal-a’la.”


  • Next, takbir “Allahu Akbar” and you need to stand in reverse order. First, your arms and head come off the floor, and then you need to get up from your squat and straighten up. This is how the first ra'kaat ends.


  • This is followed by a repetition of the first ra’kaat and at the end of the second bow, the takbir is pronounced and again you need to sit on your feet. In this case, the index finger of the right hand must be straightened towards the Kaaba. The prayers “Tashahhud” and “Salyavat” are read. During these prayers, the straightened finger should move up and down without stopping.

“At-tahiyyatu li-llahi wa-s-salyawatu wa-t-tayyibat! As-salamu ‘alaika ayyuha-n-nabiyyu wa-rahmatu-llahi wa-barakatuh! As-salamu 'alaina wa-'ala ibad-llahi-s-salihin! Ashkhadu ‘al-la ‘ilaha ila-llahu, wa-‘ashkhadu ‘anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa-rasuluh!’ (All greetings are to Allah, all prayers and righteous deeds. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, the mercy of Allah and His blessings! Peace be upon us and all the righteous servants of Allah. I testify that there is no god but Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is His slave and messenger.)

Salawat: “Allahumma salli ‘ala Muhammadiv-wa-‘ala ‘ali Muhammadin kama sallayta ‘ala Ibrahima wa-‘ala ‘ali Ibrahima, innaka hamidun-majid. Allahumma barik 'ala Muhammadiv-wa-'ala 'ali Muhammadin kama barakta 'ala Ibrahima wa-'ala 'ali Ibrahima, innaka hamidun-majid" (O Allah! Bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Truly , You are Glorious, Praiseworthy and Great. O Allah! Show Your generosity to Muhammad and his family, as You bestowed Your generosity on Ibrahim and his family. Verily, You are Glorious, Praiseworthy and Great).


  • After salawat, you need to turn your head to the right and say: “As-salamu alaikum wa rahmatu-l-lah” (Peace and mercy of Allah be upon you), and then to the left and again: “As-salamu alaikum wa rahmatu-l-lah.”
  • Fajr prayer is over. All other prayers, except Maghrib, consist of 4 ra’kaats. After the first two, when the tashahud is pronounced until “Ashhadu ‘al-la ‘ilahu illa-llahu ...”, the takbir “Allahu Akbar!” is said again, you need to get up and repeat two more ra’kaats. Maghrib consists of 3 ra'kaats.


Before you start praying, you need to become familiar with when you can’t perform namaz, what violates namaz, how to properly perform ablution, and much more. At first it may seem that everything is very difficult, but it is not! The most important thing is that after prayer you will feel inner peace and satisfaction! Peace and blessings of Allah be upon you!

In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, peace and blessings of Allah be upon our prophet Muhammad, members of his family and all his companions!

The Almighty said: “To Allah belong the east and the west. Wherever you turn, there will be the Face of Allah. Verily, Allah is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing.". (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:115).

Tafsir al-Saadi:“Of all the directions of the world, Allah especially singled out the east and the west, because great signs are concentrated in them. The heavenly bodies rise and set there, and if Allah has power over the east and west, then the rest of the world is even more subject to Him.

O people! Whichever direction you turn, fulfilling the command of Allah or forcedly, there will be the face of Allah. You are ordered to turn your face towards the Kaaba during prayers, although previously you turned your face towards Jerusalem. And while traveling, you are allowed to perform prayer while sitting on a camel or other vehicle and turn your face in the direction of your movement. And if you cannot determine which direction the Kaaba is located, you are allowed to perform prayer in any direction at your discretion. And your prayer is accepted, even if it later turns out that you made a mistake. And if you suffer from lower back pain or become ill, other concessions have been made for you. In any case, wherever you turn, you will not find a side that is not under the control of your Lord.

This verse confirms the existence of the face of Allah Almighty, which is worthy of His greatness and perfection and is not similar to the faces of creation. Allah has the greatest mercy and the most perfect qualities, and He knows all the secrets and thoughts of His creations. Due to His all-encompassing qualities and unlimited knowledge, Allah allows His slaves to perform various actions and accepts their righteous deeds. Praise for this belongs to Him alone!”

Facing the Kaaba

When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) began to pray, he turned his face to the Kaaba while performing the obligatory (al-fard) and additional (an-nafilah) prayers. He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ordered this to be done, saying to “the man who prayed poorly”: “ When you begin to pray, perform ablution thoroughly, then turn your face to the Qiblah and say takbir.". Al-Bukhari, Muslim and as-Siraj.
“While on the road, he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) performed additional prayers, as well as prayer al-witr, (sitting) on ​​his mount, wherever it turned to the east or west" Al-Bukhari, Muslim and as-Siraj. The sources and transmitters of the second of these two hadiths are given in the book Al-Irwa' al-Galil (289 and 588).
This also includes the following Words of the Almighty: “ Wherever you turn, there is the Face of Allah.” (Surah al-Baqarah, verse 115).
« Sometimes, when he wanted to perform additional prayers on his camel, he would turn it towards the Qibla, say takbir and pray wherever it turned».
« He performed bows from the waist and bow to the ground (ruku’ and sujud) on his mount, bending his head: when making a bow to the ground, he bent his head lower than when making a bow from the waist.” Ahmad and at-Tirmidhi, who called this hadith authentic.
A « when he wanted to commit obligatory prayer, then got off the camel and turned his face to the Qiblah " Al-Bukhari and Ahmad.
During prayer performed under the influence of strong fear, he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) established for his community (ummah) the performance of prayer « on foot or sitting astride an animal, facing or not facing the Qibla» Al-Bukhari and Muslim, and he also said: “ When they mix in battle, then it (i.e. prayer) is takbir and nods of the head» . Al-Bayhaki cites this hadith through a chain of transmitters, which meets the requirements for hadiths by Imams al-Bukhari and Muslim.
He (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) also said: “ What lies between East and West is Qibla."
Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “ Once, when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and I were on a journey or on a military campaign, the sky was covered with clouds, therefore, while trying to determine the Qibla, we disagreed regarding the direction to the Qibla, and each of us performed namaz according to separately. However, each of us drew a line in front of us to indicate the direction of the prayer performed. In the morning we looked at the sky and discovered that we had prayed in the wrong direction to the Qibla. We told the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about what had happened, but he did not order us to repeat the prayer, saying: “That prayer is sufficient for you.”"". Ad-Darakutni, al-Hakim, al-Baykhaki, at-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and at-Tabarani. The sources and chains of transmitters of this hadith have been verified for authenticity in the book “Al-Irwa’” (296).
Also “he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prayed towards Jerusalem (meaning the Distant Mosque - al-Masjid al-Aqsa - located in Jerusalem - approx. translator) , and in front of him was the Kaaba before the following verse was revealed: “We have seen your face turn towards the sky, and We will turn you towards the Qiblah with which you will be pleased. So turn your face towards the Sacred Mosque...” (Sura al-Baqarah, verse 144). And when this verse was revealed, he turned his face to the Kaaba. When a man approached the people performing morning prayers in the Quba mosque, he said: “ Truly, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) received a revelation that night, and he was ordered to turn his face towards the Kaaba, so shouldn’t you turn towards it?!” And at this time their faces were turned towards al-Sham, and upon hearing this, the people turned around and their imam also turned around until he turned to face the Qiblah with them. Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Ahmad, as-Siraj, at-Tabarani (3/108/2) and Ibn Sa'd (1/234). The sources and chains of transmitters of this hadith have been verified for authenticity in the book “Al-Irwa’” (290).

_________________________________
- Abu Dawud, Ibn Hibban in the book “As-Sikat” (1/12) and ad-Diya’ in the book “Al-Mukhtara” cite this hadith through a good chain of transmitters. Its authenticity was confirmed by Ibn al-Sukn, as well as Ibn al-Mulakkin in the book “Khulasat al-Badr al-Munir” (22/1). Even earlier, Abd al-Haqq al-Ishbili pointed out the authenticity of this hadith in his book “Al-Ahkam” (No. 1394), which I checked. Imam Ahmad used this hadith as an argument, as reported by Ibn Hani from his words in the book “Al-Masa’il” (1/67).
- At-Tirmidhi and al-Hakim. They both call this hadith authentic. The sources and chains of transmitters of this hadith have been verified for authenticity in the book “Al-Irwa’” (292).
Note translator: this injunction applies to the inhabitants of Medina, because Medina is located north of Mecca. And if the inhabitants of Medina face the direction of Mecca, then to their right will be the West, and to their left will be the East. This hadith indicates that if the worshiper is at a great distance from the Kaaba, then he only needs to turn in the direction of the Sacred Mosque (“Al-Masjid al-Haram”) - “Ithaf al-Qiram” by Safiy ar-Rahman al-Mubarakfuri.

And in conclusion, praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds!

For every Muslim, determining the qibla (direction towards the holy Kaaba) is important, since it is in the direction of the qibla that daily prayer should be performed according to the commandments of Allah, which were revealed in the Koran. There are various ways to determine the Qibla, in this article I will tell you how to use the online Qibla compass, and what network services will help us with this.

Why is determining the qibla important?

According to the commandments of Allah, every Muslim must point his face towards Mecca during his prayer. Mosques and other religious buildings should also be oriented towards the Holy Kaaba. Every Muslim must do everything in his power to correctly determine the qibla in order to perform prayer correctly.

The Holy Quran says: “We have seen you turn your face to the sky, and We will turn you to the qibla with which you will be pleased. Turn your face towards the Sacred Mosque. Wherever you are, turn your faces towards her. Verily, those who have been given the Book know that this is the truth from their Lord. Allah is not ignorant of what they do.” (Quran, 2 sura, 144 verse).

List of the Best Qibla Compasses on the Internet

There are various ways to determine the direction of the qibla. I will focus on online network services that will help devout Muslims in searching for the qibla.

In most cases, these resources work on a similar principle: you tell them your location (or place a corresponding mark on the map), and they show you the direction of the qibla with an arrow. Some resources can also indicate the distance to Mecca, latitude and longitude, and degree. Also, if you want to determine the direction of the world in an apartment using, I recommend reading the article.

Compusers.ru

The Russian-language resource computers.ru invites you to find the qibla using Yandex maps. On the page that opens, indicate your location on the map by clicking there, after which a line with an arrow will appear on the map indicating the direction to Mecca.


Halatrip.com

  1. The English-language website halatrip.com will help you easily determine the qibla.
  2. To do this, go to this site, after which it will ask permission to determine your location.
  3. If you agree, then click on “Allow Location Access”, the site will determine your location and show you the qibla path on the map.
Click on “Allow Location Access” and the resource will determine your location

If you want to indicate your location yourself, then enter your address in the green sign on the right (the “Enter Location” field) and press enter.

Enter your address in the "Enter Location" field

The map will display your location and the direction of the qibla as a bar, and the compass on the left will indicate the exact angle of the qibla direction.


Eqibla.com

  1. Another English-language online resource, eqibla.com, will help Muslims find the qibla.
  2. Go to this resource, enter your address in the “Enter your address” line, and click on the “Locate” button.
  3. The map will display your location, and the line will indicate the correct direction of the qibla.

In addition, the resource will determine the latitude and longitude, the distance to the Kaaba, and also show the qibla in how many degrees.


Map with qibla direction on "Eqibla.com"

Islamicfinder.org

An English-language resource for Muslims, islamicfinder.org, will also help you determine the direction of the qibla online. To do this, you need to place the cursor on the map at your location (holding down the left mouse button), the service will immediately indicate the direction of the qibla with a dashed line.

Like the eqibla.com resource, this resource determines latitude and longitude, distance and will show the qibla degree online.


Qibla direction on "islamicfinder.org"

Qib.la

The qib.la service also makes it easy to find out the qibla. When you switch to this service, it will ask you for permission to determine your location. If you click on "Allow location access", it will find your location on the map and show you the direction to Mecca.

You can also indicate your location on the map yourself, and a line with arrows will show you the way to the Holy Kaaba.

Working window of the site “qib.la”

Mobile applications for finding the direction of the Kaaba

You can also use such mobile applications for your smartphone as “Find Qibla Direction” (Android), “iSalam: Qibla Compass” (iOS), “Qibla Compass” (Android), “Muslim Pro” (Andoid) and others. Using the built-in tools of your smartphone (GPS, accelerometer, magnetometer, gyroscope, etc.) you can correctly determine the qibla.


Mobile application "Muslim Pro" will help you correctly determine the qibla

Conclusion

In this material I have listed online compass resources that will help you correctly determine the qibla. All of them have simple and convenient functionality; you just need to indicate your address, and the resource will immediately show you the correct direction of the qibla. Peace to you!

What are we going to determine? Let's turn to Wikipedia for help:

Qibla (Arab. قبلة‎‎ ‒ “direction”, “that which is opposite”) ‒ in Islam the direction to the Kaaba, located in the Forbidden Mosque (Masjid al-Haram,المسجد الحرام ) in the city of Mecca (Saudi Arabia), observed during prayer-namaz and the performance of a number of other rituals.

Qibla (orientation) is important in the construction of mosques and other places of worship in many religions, as well as in the daily life of Muslims, and serves as a symbol of the unity of all Muslims.

In the early years of the spread of Islam (from 610 to 623), the Qibla was located in Quds (Jerusalem). The change in the Qibla from al-Aqsa Mosque (Quds) to the Forbidden Mosque (Mecca) occurred seventeen months after the Hijra, and was made in response to statements by Medina Jews that the prophet and Muslims did not know where the Qibla was and supposedly they taught them this.

Prophet Muhammad(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prayed to Allah Almighty to show Muslims their Qibla for Islam. And in the month of Shaban of the 2nd year of the Hijri, the Lord showed him the direction of the new Qibla in accordance with the following Quranic revelation:

We see how you [Muhammad] repeatedly looked at the sky [asking for the direction of the prayer (Qibla) to change]. You can rest assured that We will guide you in the direction that you will be satisfied with. Direct your face towards the Holy Mosque (towards the Kaaba). And wherever you are [on the planet], direct your faces [while performing prayer-namaz] in this direction.

Those who were given the Scripture before [Jews and Christians] know that it is the Truth from the Lord. The Almighty will not ignore the slightest of their actions [His vigilance regarding the deeds and actions of everyone and everything is unshakable, everything is under His control].*

Holy Quran, 2: 144

Here are some hadiths describing this moment:

We prayed with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) for sixteen or seventeen months, turning towards Jerusalem, after which we turned towards the Kaaba.

Hadith from Al-Bara'a,

St. hadiths of Muslim

hadith from Ibn Umar,

The recognition of Qibla in the direction of the Kaaba was important for Muslims, who declared themselves not as a reform movement, but as an independent religion with Arabian specifics. In this regard, one of the names that the Muslim community received was “ people of Qibla and harmony [communities]"(Arabic) أهل القبلة والجماعة ‎‎ ‒ « Ahl-l-Qibla wa-l-jama'a»).

In everyday life, it is very important for Muslims to know the direction of the Qiblah also when performing some other actions not related to prayer:

Burying the dead

A deceased Muslim is placed in the grave on his right side, facing the Qiblah.

The Kaaba is your direction, whether you are alive or dead.

St. hadiths of al-Baihaqi, at-Tahawi

Slaughter of animals

Animals are slaughtered by placing them on their left side and turning their heads towards Mecca.

The Prophet slaughtered two rams on the day of Eid. When they were turned, the prophet said: “I sincerely turned my face to the One who created the heavens and the earth, and I do not belong to the polytheists!” Another narration says: “He turned the rams towards Qibla during slaughter.”

hadith from Jabir ibn Abdallah,

St. hadiths of al-Bukhari

Sleeping and lying down

It is recommended to fall asleep turning your face to Mecca, on your right side, thinking about what deeds you performed during the day: good or bad. After all, sleep is a little death, and no one, falling asleep, knows for sure whether he will wake up or not.

Addressing me, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “O so-and-so, when you want to go to bed, perform the same ablution that you do before prayer, lie down on your right side and say: “Allahumma inni aslamtu wajhi ilaika.” , wa favvaztu amri ilaika wa aljatu zahri ilaika, ragbatan wa ragbatan ilaika la maljaa wa la maljaa minka illa ilaika, amantu bikitabika lazi anzalta wa nabiyika lazi arsalta.” (O my Allah, I direct my face to You, I rely in all my affairs on Your will, I rely on You, I hope on You, I fear You, and I have nowhere to run from You except to You, I believe in the Prophet sent by You, and in the Koran sent down by You).”

hadith from Bara ibn ‘Azib,

St. hadiths of al-Bukhari and Muslim

Disposal of natural needs

It is not advisable to perform natural needs with your face and back to the Qiblah.

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If one of you relieves himself in great need (in an open space), he should not turn his face to the qibla and do not turn his back to it. Turn (to face) east or west."

hadith from Abu Ayyub al-Ansari,

St. hadiths of al-Bukhari

Thus, the issue of correctly determining the Qibla is extremely important for a Muslim!

Let's try to understand this issue.

To the Almighty Allah (the Lord of the worlds, the Creator of everything and everyone, God) belongs both the east and the west [if somewhere you are subjected to religious persecution, then remember that you can pray to the Almighty in any clean place throughout the entire earthly space]. Wherever you turn, there will be His face [He is not limited by place or time]. Verily, Allah (God, Lord) is infinitely Wide [of His mercy] and Omniscient.*

Holy Quran, 2: 115

In its translation of meanings Holy Quran A well-known Muslim theologian in Russia explains this verse as follows:

Muslims all over the world pray in the direction of the Kaaba, located in the city of Mecca, but this, of course, does not mean that the Almighty is there. No, the Creator is transcendental, and our planet is a grain of sand among the galaxies created by Him. But all Muslims of the world, despite the fact that they are of different cultures, nationalities, live in different cities and states, think and analyze differently, speak different languages ​​- they are all united by common spiritual values, a certain form of performing prayer-namaz in Arabic, fasting, actions of hajj (pilgrimage), direction during prayer.

Anyone who can see the Kaaba must look at it when performing prayer. And the one who cannot see her must turn in her direction, since this is all that is in his power, and Allah Almighty places on the soul only what is within its power. For example, for the inhabitants of Medina and those whose territory is located in a similar way, the following hadith applies:

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “What (is) between the East and the West is the Qibla.”

hadith from Abu Hurayrah,

St. hadiths of Ibn Majah, al-Hakim and at-Tirmidhi

Methods for determining Qibla

→ For those traveling by transport

For those traveling by transport, the Qibla during travel is the direction of transport.

I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) praying while driving, (and he was praying) in the direction in which he was driving.

hadith from Amir ibn Rabia,

St. hadiths of Muslim

Al-Bukhari added in the text of this hadith: “ He tilted his head slightly" And at-Tirmidhi added the following to the text: “(However) he did not act in this way when performing the obligatory prayers».

→ When performing prayer-namaz under forced conditions, illness or danger

Under such circumstances, it is permissible to pray without facing the Qibla, as the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

If I order you to do something, then do what you are able (to do).

St. hadiths of al-Bukhari, Muslim, at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasai

Also, Allah Almighty teaches us in the Holy Quran:

If you are afraid of something (fear for yourself), then you can perform [the next obligatory prayer-namaz] while walking [if the situation is so extraordinary, dangerous, and the time for prayer is already coming to an end, then you can perform it without even stopping, on the move ] or on horseback [moving on any of the ground, underground or air modes of transport, performing prayer with the optimal range of movements in the existing conditions and the maximum amplitude in the direction of the transport. There is no canonical need to re-read the obligatory prayer performed in this way in the future]. If there are no fears, then mention the Almighty as He taught you what you did not know [that is, perform prayer-namaz in the usual manner, calmly, fully, peacefully].*

Holy Quran, 2: 239

→ In all other cases, when a person does not experience obvious difficulties:

1) IN modern world high technology to determine the Qibla you can use special programs installed on a cell phone, tablet or on your personal computer; (for example this one:)

2) If you are in locality, where there is a mosque, the direction of the Qibla will be told to you by the mihrab - a hemispherical niche in the wall of the mosque (often decorated with two columns and an arch), in which the imam performs collective prayer. The arrangement of carpets and stripes in mosques also help to properly navigate inside the mosque;

3) If technical means are not at hand, then you can calculate the direction towards Qibla using geographical map, and, knowing this direction, use the compass to navigate to the point where you are now;

4) If you suddenly don’t have a compass at hand, then, knowing the direction to Qibla for the area where you are now (for example, for Central Russia Qibla is the direction to the south) you can:

during the daytime, determine the cardinal directions:

in the shadow at noon

The cardinal directions are easiest to determine in sunny weather at noon. You need to stand with your back to the sun and the shadow you cast will point to the North in the Northern Hemisphere and to the South in the Southern Hemisphere. In equatorial regions, the midday shadow is directed north for six months (from September 23 to March 21), and south for six months (from March 21 to September 23).

by sun and clock

In sunny weather, the cardinal directions can be determined if you have a watch. To do this, you need to position the watch so that the hour hand points to the Sun. Divide the angle between the hour hand and 12 o'clock in half, and the line dividing this angle will point to the South, and the South before 12 o'clock will be on the right side of the Sun, and after 12 o'clock on the left. This method is suitable for determining direction during the day, namely from 6 am to 6 pm.

Attention! With the onset of spring, many countries, including Russian Federation, is entered summer time and the clocks are moved forward an hour, so noon occurs at 13:00, i.e. The angle is measured between the hour hand and the number 1.

As of 01/01/2015 The time was changed again - now noon is calculated the same way as it was, focusing on 12 o'clock.
At the time of reading the article, please focus on the current time, as the authors may not keep track of the next change!!!

at night time:

according to the North Star(if you are in the northern hemisphere)

I) Find the constellation Ursa Major (Big Dipper) in the sky.

II) Plot the distance between the two outermost stars five times in a straight line towards the constellation Ursa Minor (small dipper). The delayed segment will coincide with the last star in the tail of Ursa Minor. This will be the North Star, from which you can mentally draw a plumb line to the Earth. This will be the direction to the north.

according to the constellation of the Southern Cross(if you are in the southern hemisphere)

The Southern Cross constellation consists of four bright stars mutually arranged in the shape of a cross. To more accurately determine the South, use a straight line drawn through two stars located to the left of the Southern Cross. The intersection of this straight line and the straight line laid off from the Southern Cross will be the direction to the South.

5) And finally, if it is not possible to determine the direction of the Qibla, for example, due to darkness or cloudiness, then, in the beginning, you should ask someone who knows about it. If you have no one to ask, then you should try to determine the Qibla yourself and perform namaz, turning in the direction that, according to your assumption, is the Qibla.

In this case, your prayer, insha Allah, will be valid, and you will not be obliged to repeat it, even if it later turns out that you performed the prayer in the wrong direction. If it turns out that you are performing the prayer in the wrong direction while performing it, then you must turn in the right direction without interrupting the prayer.

These conclusions are based on the following hadiths:

Once, when people were performing morning prayer in the mosque, one person came to them and said: “Truly, Allah sent down to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) the Koran, in which he ordered to turn towards the Kaaba, so turn to it.” They stood facing Shamu and turned towards the Kaaba.

hadith from Ibn Umar,

St. hadiths of al-Bukhari and Muslim

Once, when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and I were on a hike, the sky was covered with clouds, therefore, while trying to determine the Qibla, we disagreed (regarding the Qibla), and each of us prayed in his own direction (on Kaaba). (However) everyone drew a line in front of him to indicate the direction (of the prayer). In the morning we looked at the sky and discovered that we had prayed in the wrong direction to the Qibla. We told the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about what had happened, but he did not order us to repeat the prayer and said: “That prayer is sufficient for you.”

hadith from Jabir,

St. hadiths of ad-Darakutni, al-Hakim,

al-Bayhaqi, at-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and at-Tabarani

To summarize, I would like to remind you once again to read the 115th verse of the 2nd sura “Cow” of the Holy Quran, given above in the text!

You shouldn’t stress yourself out too much if you can’t accurately determine the Qibla, because the main thing is to do everything in your power for this and perform namaz with the niyat (intention) of its fulfillment in the direction of the Qibla and, inshaAllah, your namaz will be fully accepted by Allah Almighty, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala!!! The main thing is not to forget to do it!!!

Of course, you guessed while reading that the article is not only literally about Qibla...

The true, straight path, which is spoken of in the Holy Quran and to which all Muslims ask the Lord to guide them in every rak'ah of prayer, reading Surah al-Fatiha, is very difficult to find, and even more difficult not to turn away from it later!!!

I advise you to watch very interesting videos for development: " " and " ".

Rasul Fatkulov,

Mahalla No. 1

*With comments by Sh. Alyautdinov

If you would like to get to know each other better Islam and know its basis — The Holy Quran, we recommend reading its first theological translation into Russian, made by Sh. Alyautdinov ("THE HOLY QURAN MEANINGS. THEOLOGICAL TRANSLATION").

The publication presents a complete translation of the Holy Quran, but the author does not claim that this exhausts all the meanings Holy Scripture— the readers are offered only what the author was able to extract after spending many years of painstaking work with the fundamental works of Muslim theologians and analyzing modernity through the many tens of thousands of human questions that he had the opportunity to answer.

The presence of ritual purity when reading this book is not mandatory (for more information about why this is not mandatory, read 79th verse of the 56th sura).

Qibla is a precisely established direction from any point on Earth towards a sacred place located in the city of Arabia. During prayers and a number of rituals, all Muslims turn their faces there. Qibla is of particular importance in the construction of mosques, as well as other places of worship.

How did Qibla appear?

In the early years of Islam, Qibla was the holy city of Quds (Jerusalem). But seventeen months after the Hijra, when the Jews of Medina declared that the Muslims and the Prophet did not know the location of the Qibla and it was they who taught them. In response, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of the Almighty be upon him!) prayed to Allah to show Muslims their real Qibla for Islam. In response, Allah indicated a new Qiblah. As a result, it became the Meccan Kaaba.

How to determine Qibla?

  1. The geographical coordinates of the Kaaba can be determined by the mosque. This building has what is called a mihrab. The imam conducts prayer from it. The mosque, according to religious rules, was built so that the person who turns to this niche could pray in the direction of the Qibla.
  2. If there are no mosques nearby, you can use the definition of Qibla using geography. You should take a map, find Mecca and your city on it. Next, you need to determine in which direction Mecca will lie from you. After this, you need to determine the desired side of the world. You can use natural methods. At noon, if you stand with your left side to the sun, your face will look south, your right side will look west, and your back will look north. At night, you can navigate by the stars. To do this, in the northern hemisphere you need to find the North Star, which is located in the tail of the constellation Ursa Minor. It has the shape of a ladle. The direction of the polar star always points north.
  3. You can ask the Qibla direction from a Muslim who is trustworthy. In this case, even if he makes a slight mistake, it will not be considered a violation of the religious canon.
  4. You can also use electronic maps, GPS navigators and other technological devices.

When can you not face the Qiblah?

When performing prayer, it is obligatory to turn towards the Qibla., however, there are some exceptions:

  1. Voluntary prayer of a rider or passenger in modern conditions
  2. Performing prayer in case of danger, illness or forced conditions

Islam-Today

Did you like the material? We will be grateful for the repost!

Did you like the article? Share with friends: