How do you determine which way is Qibla? Is there a specific way / method?
Please let me know.
Thanks!
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A special Qibla Compass has been designed which comes with a little booklet that has a list of cities and a number associated with each city in the range of 0 to 39. But the reading from it can be wrong because of other metallic objects close to the compass.
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More accurate Method:
It has been observed for centuries and reported in many books by Muslims around the world that two times a year the sun comes overhead above Ka’bah. This is observational fact for centuries, and is used to set the correct Qibla direction in places far from Makkah by Muslims for last so many centuries. Those two dates and times are:
May 28 at 9:18UT
July 16 at 9:27UT
When you observe the sun at these times (after converting it to your local time), you will be facing the Ka’bah giving you Qibla direction, because if there were a very high minaret over Ka’bah reaching up to the sky, then you will see it just like you are seeing the sun. Now, let us take a few examples. If you are in Islamabad, Pakistan (+5 hours time difference from Greenwich), the local time to observe the sun would be 2:18pm on May 28, and 2:27pm on July 16.
Similarly, if you are in Nova Scotia, Canada (-3 hours time difference from Greenwich), the local time to observe the sun would be 6:18am on May 28, and 6:27am on July 16.
If you are at a location that you cannot see the sun on the above mentioned two dates, then you can locate Qibla from the sun when it comes overhead at a point diametrically opposite of Makkah on the globe and look for the following two dates and times:
November 28 at 21:09UT
January 16 at 21:29UT
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3) Most Accurate Method:
Qibla direction from the sun: **Every day, at a certain time the Qibla can be determined from the sun, either by facing it or by facing the shadow from it, or else there is a time when Qibla would be 90 degress left or right of the sun. This time can be calculated for everyday for any desired location. This is the most accurate method. Remember, the compass, cannot tell you the True North, because its needle points to Magnetic North, and there is no way to know exactly how many degrees it is away from Ture North. Estimated values of the difference between True North and Magnetic North can be used but they can have errors, because magnetic field is not only changing continuously, but also can be erratic due to other physical changes present inside the earth. Moreover, the presence of other magnetic fields or metallic objects can deflect compass needle pointing in the wrong direction.
Taken from: Moonsighting.com Qibla Direction
Just want to add that although it is better to know accurate direction of Qibla, but (I think) a good guess of Qibla direction is enough to offer prayers. Accurate Qibla direction should not be made a big problem that may stop someone from praying. Allah has made Islam easy to follow.
For example, Qibla time for Jersey City, New Jersey, USA is:
(According to the "Most Accurate Method)
Oct, 2003 AD
DAY DATE QIBLA*
Fri 17-Oct 4:21p
Sat 18-Oct 4:22p
Sun 19-Oct 4:23p
Mon 20-Oct 4:24p
Tue 21-Oct 4:25p
Wed 22-Oct 4:26p
Thu 23-Oct 4:27p
Fri 24-Oct 4:28p
Sat 25-Oct 4:29p
Sun 26-Oct 3:31p
Mon 27-Oct 3:32p
Tue 28-Oct 3:33p
Wed 29-Oct 3:34p
Thu 30-Oct 3:35p
Fri 31-Oct 3:36p
*At this time Qibla is along shadow from the sun.
You only have to determine Qibla direction once.
You may also want to see the following links:
http://www.moonsighting.com/prayer.html
Especially, read the last two lines, and you may request an annual prayer shedule and Qibla direction times.
[quote]
Qibla direction from the sun: Every day, at a certain time the Qibla can be determined from the sun, either by facing it or by facing the shadow from it, or else there is a time when Qibla would be 90 degress left or right of the sun. This time can be calculated for everyday for any desired location. This is the most accurate method
[/quote]
huh?? care to explain the above?? how do you face qiblah to determine the direction of Qiblah??
and i'm scared.. all these gadgets and compasses have degrees of error.. I may have been missing Allah by a couple of degrees .. maybe more.. allah raham karay...
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by PakistaniAbroad: *
huh?? care to explain the above?? how do you face qiblah to determine the direction of Qiblah??
and i'm scared.. all these gadgets and compasses have degrees of error.. I may have been missing Allah by a couple of degrees .. maybe more.. allah raham karay...
[/QUOTE]
A deviation of one degree in the long run can take one completely off course...
But if you start wrong in the first place, how would you ever reach your destination?
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by PakistaniAbroad: *
huh?? care to explain the above?? how do you face qiblah to determine the direction of Qiblah??
and i'm scared.. all these gadgets and compasses have degrees of error.. I may have been missing Allah by a couple of degrees .. maybe more.. allah raham karay...
[/QUOTE]
face the sun, not qibla
As I said above, it would be better to know accurate direction of Qibla, but a good guess of Qibla direction is enough to offer prayers. Unavailability of accurate Qibla direction should not be made a big problem that may stop someone from praying. Allah has made Islam easy to follow.
how come it's easy?? supposing it's overcat where I am.. i don't know anyone.. how do i go about my calculations again? dang ... i think i'll miss Allah by some degrees again..
if ur standing at the exact other end of the globe…where do u face then? cuz facing one side would mean via the other side backing the qibla 
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by PakistaniAbroad: *
how come it's easy?? supposing it's overcat where I am.. i don't know anyone.. how do i go about my calculations again? dang ... i think i'll miss Allah by some degrees again..
[/QUOTE]
(I think) If someone is in a situation where he is lost that he can't even guess the qibla direction, then he can pray in any direction. Because in these circumstances praying in qibla direction could be exempted, but prayer is not and must be performed.
Also, what type of sarcasm you are trying to bring up, "dang.... this and that... I miss Allah again..." Stop this mockery in religion, be perceptive minded (please) and change this attitude toward religion. Allah is everywhere, pray in any direction, He knows wherever we are. We pray in Qibla direction b/c He has said so.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by PakistaniAbroad: *
how come it's easy?? supposing it's overcat where I am.. i don't know anyone.. how do i go about my calculations again? dang ... i think i'll miss Allah by some degrees again..
[/QUOTE]
once, during my trip to lahore, the sky was filled with dark clouds and the sun was nowhere in sight, so i had no means of determining the direction of qibla, and i was in my hotel room (ofcourse a very cheap one, as my fellow traveller did not wish to spend money cuz we intended to get a place just to keep our stuff and not actually stay there) and was time for asar prayer....
i tried to look for a mosque and get the direction and asked a couple of ppl but got no response, so i just assumed a direction and prayed....
later when the sun came out, it turned out that i had prayed 180 degrees to the real direction....
but for me the prayer was done....
i may have missed the kaaba, but i know i had not missed Allah and neither did He, for that matter, miss my prayer....
and PA, i thought its just the hadith that u ridiculed....
have u started mocking Quran as well now????
facing the qibla during prayers is ordered in Quran (verse 2:144)....
and also dont miss out on:
Quran 2:115
To Allah belong the east and the west: Whithersoever ye turn, there is the presence of Allah. For Allah is all-Pervading, all-Knowing.
get real.. who's mocking what? Me who actually believes in the verse you quoted and thinks Allah is everywhere and you can pray no matter where you physically 'face' or your sect which creates 'java Qibla calculators' on the web to enable exact computations to a direction to Allah..
I think an error of +- 5degrees shouldnt matter, alot of the mechanical instruments arent that precise. Only digital compasses are give you +-1degree, but then again they are expensive
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by PakistaniAbroad: *
get real.. who's mocking what? Me who actually believes in the verse you quoted and thinks Allah is everywhere and you can pray no matter where you physically 'face' or your sect which creates 'java Qibla calculators' on the web to enable exact computations to a direction to Allah..
[/QUOTE]
ofcourse u dont think i invented verse 144 of the same sura, do u????
or do u think ppl who try to make life simpler for those who believe in the verse r mocking the Book????
get real PA and stop putting up all stupid theories just to support ur "i dont wanna pray" thoughts....
I once read about this Bosnian man who who used walk for thirty minutes to the masjid because he didn't know the direction of the Qibla from his house...
It's true that if you don't know the direction of the Qibla you can pray facing anywhere or when you are riding you pray facing wherever the ride is facing...Doesn't matter...
Those that make an effort to find out the direction of the Qibla are trying to be as close to the path of Islam as possible...So why do you mock them PA?
The easiest way to find the Qibla, if there is no other alternative, is to pray facing wherever the sun is setting...
thats so vague… 
although cud be, to very limited places, applied in the east (of makkah), it is definitely not applicable to places north, south or west of it…
oh you think that's vague? how about the idea of 'facing the Qiblah' on a spherical planet like ours??
so u think God missed out the point that the planet is spherical when He revealed the verse in which He commanded muslims to face the kaaba???
No, but i think people misinterpreted God's words and took them too literally.. check out 10:105, 30:30 and 30:43 and share with us the new 'java-Religion-direction-calculator' application please.. i have a feeling some of us might be missing it by more than a few degrees.
yes....
u see even these verses tell u further that u shud set ur face towards the right way as commanded by Allah earlier in verse 144 of chapter 2....
and do not make partners with Allah and listen to them to face some other directions except that which Allah has ordered....
i have a feeling u r missing it by much more than a few degrees....