Direction of the Qibla: how to define? Sacred Kaaba in Mecca

Islam is one of the youngest religions on the planet, it is significantly different from ancient religious beliefs and today has the most followers around the world. In the uninitiated or newly converted to the faith, great difficulty is caused by observing all the daily rites that are prescribed for the faithful Muslims. It is especially difficult for many to determine the direction of the Qibla, without which it is impossible to perform namaz and a lot of other ritual activities. But this is a serious deviation from the rules, which in Islam is considered a sin. In this article, we will tell you how to determine the direction of the Qiblah in different ways, and explain why this landmark is so important for the faithful.

Kibla: the term and its meaning

The term "kibla" arose literally in parallel with the emergence of Islam, in literal translation from Arabic it means "what is opposite." Virtually every Muslim knows that with his help from anywhere in the world, you can determine where Arabia is. Mecca (city) and the sacred Kaaba are the direction facing the faithful of Namaz. This moment is very important for any person professing Islam. But this is not the only action that governs the direction of the Qiblah.

Life and everyday affairs of Muslims, depending on the location of the sacred Kaaba

In order for the faithful to know exactly what to do in this or that situation, the Prophet Muhammad left behind him as a reminder of hadith. About the kibble is said even in several of them. For example, this topic is revealed in the hadeeth of Bari ibn Aziba, Jabir ibn Abdallah, Amir ibn Rabiah. Thanks to these pious people, in the everyday life of the Muslims there was virtually no moment left that would not have been explained and painted. So, let's look at the rituals and everyday actions that imply the need for information about which side of the Qiblah is in:

• Burial of the deceased. Hadiths determine the special position of the body of a Muslim at the time of burial - it should be turned to the right side, facing the Kaaba.
• Slaughter of animals. If any Muslim plans to slaughter the cattle, he must put the animal on his left side, and turn his head toward Mecca.
• Sleep. Muslims should sleep, strictly observing a ritual identical to the laying of the dead. After all, every person can not wake up in the morning, so according to the Qur'an, sleep is equated with death.
• Reduction of natural needs. The devout is strictly forbidden to do this, turning around with his back or face to Mecca.
• Namaz. This is the most important daily action, for which it is necessary to know exactly the direction of the Qiblah. Since prayer is performed several times a day, and a person constantly moves during this time, he should be able to receive reliable information about which side of the world Mecca is in.

Of course, this is far from all the actions indicated in the hadith. We have resulted only the most widespread and interesting. However, there is also a certain list of peculiar exceptions to the general rules, when it is permitted not to look for direction to the Qiblah during Namaz. There are only two such cases:

• During the journey. If you are on the road, and it is time to perform a prayer or other action from the above, then the direction by which the transport moves will be considered the kiblah.
• Danger or serious illness. In the event that a mortal danger threatens you, a terrible illness sets in, or a different critical situation occurs, you are allowed to pray without being guided by Mecca.

We think, from all of the above, you already realized how important in Islam is the Qibla. Almost every person can easily determine its direction in the modern world. But where did this term come from and why is Mecca the main reference point? This we now tell you.

The rise of the Qiblah

From the very first days of the emergence of Islam as a religion, a tradition to build mosques and perform all the rituals, focusing on one direction. But initially it was the city of Quds (Jerusalem). He was considered a sacred place, and all the faithful, when determining the kibloo, turned to face him.

However, over time, a dispute arose between the Medinian Jews and Muslims. The first constantly rebuked the truth that they and the Prophet Muhammad could not even determine the kiblah independently and were taught this art from the Jews. The Prophet addressed Allah with a request, and the Almighty heard his prayer, the Muslims received a new qibloo. Now they had to face the sacred Kaaba. Since then, the direction has never changed, so it is so important, regardless of its location anywhere in the world, to know where Mecca is located.

Qibla: How to determine the direction

Muslims know a lot of ways with which you can calculate the direction of the Qiblah. Some of them have been preserved since ancient times, others have arisen thanks to the technical achievements of our time. We have collected in the article the most detailed list of all known methods:

• mosque;
• geographic map;
• compass;
• Nine scientific methods of Abdel-Aziz Sallam;
• Computer programs (Compass Cybles);
• mechanical watches;
• Question to an authoritative person.

Since this is a rather important and interesting question, we will analyze each method separately.

Definition of the qiblah for the mosque

If your city has a mosque, then you will not have any problems with the definition of the Qibla. After all, initially every religious structure in the Muslim world is built in such a way that all worshipers are always facing Mecca.

If you, having entered the mosque, look carefully, you will notice a small semicircular niche - mihrab. It is from her that she conducts a collective prayer to the Imam. 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 is a lot of people in the mosque, a prayer rug helps determine the kibloo. On many of them, the arrow indicates the direction, signed by the word "kibla". This greatly facilitates the lives of Muslims who observe all the injunctions of Allah. Also in many hotels in the world you can see tablets with arrows pointing to Mecca.

Interestingly, in ancient times, the construction of mosques was always attracted by experienced astrologers who could absolutely tell in which direction the sacred Kaaba is located. Later on these questions were addressed to architects, who, apart from their main duties, coped well with the definition of the direction of the Qiblah.

Now it is much easier to build mosques, because you can correctly specify the direction using a variety of technical means that can accurately determine the location of Mecca with respect to a certain point on the terrain.

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

Unusual construction in Saudi Arabia

In Medina is the mosque of the Two Cyble, or Masjit Al-Kiblatayn. This building is the only one of its kind, because it has two mihrabs, which means it points to two Qiblahs. The first niche is focused on Jerusalem, and the second on Mecca. One of the most ancient Muslim traditions is associated with this mosque.

During the life of the Prophet Muhammad, when Qibs served as a Qiblah, he often performed prayer at the site of today's mosque. It is believed that it was here that the Prophet prayed to Allah about sending down the new Qibla in connection with the protracted dispute between Muslims and Jews. Right during the prayer, Muhammad received a revelation from the Almighty and immediately turned towards Mecca. All the prayers immediately followed his example. Thus, in the eyes of many people, an important event occurred - the change of the Qibla. And the mosque, which became the symbol of this significant change, which touched the life of every orthodox, has two mihrabs.

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

Externally, the mosque differs little from most similar structures. At the moment it is reconstructed and is operational.

How to determine the direction of the Qibla by compass

This is one of the easiest and most accessible ways to determine where the sacred Ka'ba 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, it is with this method that many other things are connected in one way or another, which we will describe in the following sections of the article.

For example, you are doing namaz in Moscow. How to determine which way to face? It's simple. For prayer, you need to know that in relation to the inhabitants of central Russia, Mecca is located in the south. Therefore, you must take the compass and determine the sides of the light, and then turn to the south. If you perform all these simple actions, you will always know the right direction.

And what about other areas of our country and neighboring countries? How do you know, for example, the direction of the Qibla by compass in Makhachkala? This is no less simple process: those who live in the Caucasus, in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, should seek the southwest. This is where Mecca is located.

For the north-west of Russia and Ukraine, the direction of the Qiblah extends to the south. Slight deviations from the generally accepted calculations have St. Petersburg, but this is not a special violation. In the hadiths it is indicated that for namaz and performing rituals one does not need to keep accuracy up to degrees. It's enough just to orient yourself in space. And how to determine the direction of the Qibla without a compass? This is a fairly common question, and we will answer it.

Geographical map - assistant in the definition of Qibla

If the compass is not at hand, and the geographic 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 doing namaz in Moscow and want to find a qibloo. You just need to find two points on the map - Moscow and Mecca, and then using the definition of the sides of the world to orient to the south. Many of the faithful are confused by this particular point of recommendation, because without a compass it is rather difficult to determine the sides of the world. We will give you a hint:

• A shadow at noon. If the sun is outside the window, then you need to go outside and turn your back to our luminary. The discarded shadow will become the northward indicator, with the right and left sides facing 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 signpost for sailors and travelers can be useful in the search for the Qiblah. If the night sky is clear, then you can easily find the North Star, located in the tail of the constellation Ursa Minor. If you draw a perpendicular to the ground from it, it will point you to the north. Behind will be the south, the right - the east, and on the left side - the west.

We hope that with the help of our advice you can always easily determine the direction of the Qiblah.

Kibla and mechanical clock: a simple and accessible method

This method is closely related to the two previous ones, because you will also need the sun and knowledge of exactly where 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 a small arrow points to the sun. The resulting angle between the arrow and the mark at twelve o'clock is divided into two equal parts, its bisectrix will point to the south. And keep in mind that before noon the south will be on the right side of the luminary, and then - on the left. Use this method can be from six in the morning to six in the evening.

Scientific work of Abdel-Aziz Sallam

It is especially difficult to determine the exact direction of the Qibla to Muslims living in America. After all, usually the direction is calculated on the basis of the shortest distance between two points overland. Therefore, among American Muslims there is no unity about the Qiblah. Sometimes prayer is performed in the opposite ends of the world.

Approximately seventeen years ago, a whole symposium was devoted to this serious issue, at which Abdel-Aziz Sallam spoke, who devoted his research to the Qiblah practically all his life. He presented to the audience his scientific work, containing nine scientific methods that can be used in the presence of certain knowledge in everyday life:

• Arithmetic. Here the rules for solving spherical triangles are applied, as well as the half-angle sine formula.
• Trigonometric tables. They are used in two methods and are based on the calculations of ancient Egyptians.
• Celestial sphere. This method is ideal for seafarers, which should correlate the meridians and the latitude of the Kaaba with the angle of inclination of the celestial sphere. The method described in scientific works as 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 a starting point in navigational aids.
• The perpendicular of the sun. Twice during the year our luminary becomes perpendicular to the Kaaba, it can be observed from different countries of the world. Therefore, it is enough to see this phenomenon once and make for itself approximate landmarks, in order to be able to always look to Mecca in the future.

• The map of prayer. It was specially compiled for the inhabitants of America and allows using the indicated angles to calculate the desired direction.

It should be noted that all such different methods are recognized as correct and can be used at any time.

Computer programs

Directing to the Qiblah during prayer help to identify various computer programs. Now they are very popular and common, there are applications for smartphones and tablets that, when launched, show you where to turn at face-lift.

Despite the fact that these programs are very diverse, many Muslims generalize them under the same name - "Compass of the Qiblah." In any case, in front of you there is a painted compass, the arrow of which points to the Kaaba. Typically, these programs have common characteristics:

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

In principle, such programs greatly facilitate the lives of the faithful, because you can use them anywhere in the world. Now this is practically the most accurate method of determining the Qibla from all known.

Question to another Muslim

If you can not independently find out the direction of the Qibla for one reason or another, it is permissible to ask a Muslim who causes trust. Many people are concerned about such a moment that the respondent can also make a mistake and incorrectly indicate the direction. Keep in mind that in this case someone else's mistake will not be considered a sin. You can calmly perform a prayer with a face in the specified direction, but in case of finding out the right direction, it should be changed. And make 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, 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 gave all the answers to the questions connected with the qiblah. Now you can always perform namaz and other rituals facing the Kaaba. And this is right, because that is what Allah ordered through the Prophet Muhammad. But, striving to perform all actions correctly and in accordance with the Qur'an and hadith, do not forget about the main thing. The life of an orthodox Muslim should be filled with spiritual purity and desire to live according to the covenants of the Most High, and if for some reason you can not determine the direction of the Qiblah, do not be upset. It is written in the Hadith that it is better to pray sincerely, not knowing where Mecca is, than to perform prayer without a spark of faith in the heart, but in the direction of the qiblah.