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Qibla (قبلة) is an Arabic word referring to the direction that should be faced when a Muslim prays. Originally, this direction was toward Baitul Muqaddas, Jerusalem (and it is therefore called the First of the Two Qiblas). In 624 AD, after Muhammad's emigration to Medina, the Qibla was changed to point to the Kaaba, in the city of Mecca, present day Saudi Arabia, where it has remained ever since. Some academic non-muslim scholars have attributed this change in the direction of prayer to a rift between Muhammad and the Jews in Medina. According to accounts from Muhammad's companions, the change happened very suddenly during the noon prayer in Medina. Muhammad was leading the prayer when he received a revelation from Allah instructing him to take the Kaaba as the Qiblah According to the historical accounts, Muhammad, who had been facing Jerusalem, upon receiving this revelation, immediately turned around to face Mecca, and those praying behind him also did so. From that day forward, the Kaaba became the Qibla for Muslims.

The Qibla, for any point of reference on the Earth, is the direction of the Kaaba. In Muslim religious practice, supplicants must face this direction in prayer. It should be noted that Muslims do not worship the Kaaba or its contents; the Kaaba is simply a focal point for prayer.

The Qibla points along the shortest path to the Kaaba. Because the Earth is approximately spherical, this path will be a great circle such as airplanes fly. The location of the Kaaba (at 21° 25' 24" N, 39° 49' 24" E) can be used together with spherical geometry to determine the Qibla for any given point on the Earth.

At least one special case exists: when inside the Kaaba itself, Muslims face towards its outer walls during prayer. The Qibla's antipodal point is a point in French Polynesia near Tematangi Atoll. At this point, any and every direction would be the Qibla.

In ancient times, Muslims traveling abroad used an astrolabe to find the Qibla. At the two moments in each year when the Sun is directly overhead the Kaaba, the direction of shadows in any sunlit place will point directly away from the Qibla. al-Biruni used mathematics to determine the Qibla direction from any point on the Earth's surface.

The Qibla has importance to more than just the salat, and plays an important part in everyday ceremonies. The head of an animal that is slaughtered using Halal methods is aligned with the Qibla. After death, Muslims are buried with their faces in the direction of the Qibla.

See also

• Masjid al Haram
• Black Stone
• Kaaba
• Qiblih, the Bahá'í equivalent of the Qibla

External links

• Al-Quds About.com
• Second Year of the Hijra on al-islam.org
• Qiblah In North America Argues that the Qiblah is based on a rhumb line path
• Qiblah direction Argues that the Qiblah is on a great circle path
• Qibla Finder Widget for Konfabulator

• Salat
• Mosque architecture
• Islamic architecture
• Arabic words