The Most Accurate Method
It is not advisable to determine the Qibla specially for a Masjid using an ordinary compass. The following method which uses the sun is more reliable and accurate. 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 Mecca by Muslims for last so many centuries.
Those two dates and times are:
When you observe the sun at these times (after converting it to your local time, see Table below), 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 (+2 hours time difference from Mecca time), 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 (-6 hours time difference from Mecca time), the local time to observe the sun would be 6:18am on May 28, and 6:27am on July 16.
The following table provides the local time for several countries when one can face toward the sun to determine the Qibla on those two dates. Consideration has been given for Daylight Saving Time in countries that observe it during summer (marked *).
Countries with several time zones have been listed with major cities in different time zones. In North America (cities shown in color) the sun can only be seen in Northeast corridor from Providence, RI to Montreal, Quebec.
For other cities in North America, the sun is not visible at noon time of Mecca , however, in those cities the sun rises a few hours later. By looking at the rising sun, one can estimate where the sun was a few hours earlier to give an approximate Qibla direction.
* means that these times are local Daylight Saving Times as observed in those countries.
tag: islam, fiq, mecca, qibla, summer time, direction
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