Question 1

What is the meaning of Qibla?

Accepted Answer

The literal meaning of the Arabic word Qibla ( قبلة‎) is "direction". In the Islamic context it means the direction Muslims face when performing their prayers (salaath).

Question 2

What is the definition of Qibla direction in Islam?

Accepted Answer

It is the direction in which Muslims face when performing their prayers wherever they are in the world. This is the direction leading to the Ka'ba in the Grand Mosque in Makkah in current day Saudi Arabia.

Question 3

Where is Mecca (Makkah) located?

Accepted Answer

Mecca is located in western Saudi Arabia. It is also known as "Makkah" ( مكة). The Holy Ka'aba is located in Makkah. It is also the birthplace of Prophet Muhammed (Peace Be Upon Him). It is the holiest city for Muslims. Muslims go on pilgrimage to Mecca to perform Hajj and Umrah.

Question 4

Is the Qibla direction west or east?

Accepted Answer

Muslims do not pray facing east or west wherever they are. They perform their prayers while facing Kaaba. As such, the Qibla direction depends on your location vis-à-vis Kaaba in Makkah. It could be East, West, North, South, etc.

Question 5

What is the "Kaaba"?

Accepted Answer

Kaaba (Ka'aba) is the Mosque built by Prophet Abraham and his son Prophet Ismael (peace be upon them) in Makkah (Mecca). It is the cube-shaped building at the centre of the Grand Mosque called Al-Masjid al-Haram – a house of God within the larger complex of the Grand Mosque. Muslims all over the world face the actual Ka'ba when they pray. It is an Arabic word (الكعبة) which means "the cube".

Question 6

Which way to pray?

Accepted Answer

You should face Kaabah. Our Qibla finder tool makes the process easier to find prayer directions wherever you are. If you need help to use our tool, we suggest you watch our video guide above.

Question 7

What is a Qibla Compass or Prayer direction compass?

Accepted Answer

These are standard compasses showing the direction of Qibla on the compass. When users align the needle of the compass to a specific number allocated to the city (provided in the booklet along with the compass), the resulting direction of Qibla marked on the compass is the prayer direction. This may not be accurate when used inside buildings.

Question 8

How to find Qibla direction using an online compass?

Accepted Answer

Online Qibla direction compass mobile applications will generally automatically detect the current location (when online) and then show the prayer direction, as is the case with the HalalTrip mobile app. On some apps the user may have to enter the location, then the compass will show the qibla direction (relative to TRUE North and not relative to compass North). HalalTrip.com website also provides an online compass which provides the Qibla direction relative to the TRUE North.

Question 9

What is an Online Qibla Compass?

Accepted Answer

With advent of mobile devices, the physical compasses are getting replaced by the online compasses available on Android and iPhone/iPad devices. This has given rise to the Online Qibla compasses mobile applications. These compasses will automatically detect the location (when online) and then show the Qibla direction. These compasses also may not be accurate when used inside buildings. HalalTrip mobile App available for both Android and iPhone/iPads has an Online Qibla Compass.

Question 10

How to find Qibla direction using google maps?

Accepted Answer

Locating the qibla direction using the google maps is very precise. It uses the great circle to show the qibla direction on a Google Map. Once you enter your location, the direction of qibla will be shown on the google map with a line drawn on the map. Zoom in the map and find the landmark to orient yourself to the qibla direction.

Question 11

How to find Qibla direction online for my current location/place/house?

Accepted Answer

The best way to find the accurate Qibla direction for any location is to use a mobile application which provides both an online compass as well as the ability to locate the qibla using google maps. HalalTrip.com as well as the HalalTrip's mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android let's you easily find the qibla direction for your house or for any location while you travel. The HalalTrip mobile app will instantly find your location and display the qibla direction. On the HalalTrip.com website, the user just needs to enter the location and the qibla direction will be shown.

Question 12

How to find Qibla direction without compass?

Accepted Answer

The best way to find the qibla direction without a compass is to use an online qibla direction locator. Especially using a google maps based prayer finder.

Question 13

Does the Qibla finder tool work in every country?

Accepted Answer

Yes, this tool will solve your need to find Qibla. Our visitors from many countries such as Australia, Canada, Cyprus, Germany, Ghana, Hong Kong, Iraq, Kuwait, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, New Zealand, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Tanzania, Turkey, Qatar, Singapore, South Africa, Azerbaijan, France, Indonesia, Norway and Iran (wherever you are) should find this tool useful.

Question 14

What is the Qibla direction in the UAE?

Accepted Answer

The Qibla direction in UAE is generally West. The exact direction depends on the location in UAE. For Dubai, it is about 259 degrees from geographic north, for Abu Dhabi the direction is around 260 degrees and for Sharjah it is around 258 degrees.

Question 15

What is the Qibla direction in Singapore?

Accepted Answer

The Qibla direction in Singapore is generally North-West and it is about 293 degrees from geographic north.

Question 16

What is the Qibla direction in India?

Accepted Answer

The Qibla direction in India is generally West. The exact direction depends on the location in India. For Chandigarh, a city in the north of India, the direction is about 263 degrees from geographic north. For Madurai, located in the south, the direction is around 292 degrees.

Mumbai – 280.07° · Kolkata – 278.21° · Delhi – 266.6° · Chennai – 287.93° · Bengaluru – 288.5° · Hyderabad – 282.3° · Ahmedabad – 273.4° · Pune – 281° · Surat – 276.6° · Kanpur – 271.11° · Lucknow – 271° · Jaipur – 268°

Question 17

What is the Qibla direction in the USA?

Accepted Answer

The Qibla direction in the USA is generally North-East. For New York, it is about 58 degrees from geographic north, for Los Angeles the direction is 24 degrees and for Chicago it is around 49 degrees.

Houston: 45° · Phoenix: 30° · Philadelphia: 58° · San Antonio: 43° · San Diego: 25° · Dallas: 43° · San Jose: 19° · Austin: 43° · Jacksonville: 55° · Fort Worth: 43°

Question 18

What is a Mihrab (محراب)?

Accepted Answer

It is the semi-circular structure in a Mosque. It indicates the direction of Qibla from the Mosque.

Question 19

How is the word Qibla spelt in English?

Accepted Answer

"Qibla" is an Arabic word - قِبْلَة

As such when written in English there are number of variations used to spell the word. The main variation is the use of either "Q" or "K" in the beginning of the word. The second is the addition of letters "t" or "h" at the end. This has given rise to the following variations of spelling:

Qibla, Qiblat, Qiblah · Kibla, Kiblat, Kiblah

Sometimes the prefix "Al" is added to the word which make it "Al Qibla". "Al" is an Arabic prefix for the word "the". The most common usage is "Qibla".

Few other variations of how it is spelt are Quibla, Qible and Qebla.

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