Determining the Qiblah

4-1-2004 | IslamWeb

Question:

How can I determine the direction of the Qiblah?

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Answer:

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions. You can know the direction of Qiblah and define it by the help of the specialists and experienced people in your area. Allah Says (interpretation of meaning): {…So ask (you, O pagans of Makkah) of those who know the Scripture [learned men of the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)], if you know not.}[16:43]. You may also use a compass or any other modern device that can be trusted in this respect. There is also a special compass to show the direction of Qiblah anywhere the person is. There is a booklet with this device that helps the person locate where Qiblah is from his site. If there are mosques in the area, one could easily know the direction of Qiblah by just looking at where the Mihrab is located. Now, if the person cannot find any viable source to define where Qiblah is, then he tries his best and faces where he thinks the Qiblah most probably is. In this his/her prayer is valid even if he knows, later on, that he did not face the right direction. Allah Says (interpretation of meaning): {"Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope….}[2:286]. Allah knows best.