How to Determine the Correct and Accurate Qibla Direction for Prayer When Traveling Far

Kapanlagi.com - Kiblat is an important thing for a Muslim when performing prayer. Because one of the requirements for valid prayer is facing the qibla. The qibla direction is the direction from a place to the Ka'bah in Masjidil Haram, Mecca, with the shortest distance. Being one of the requirements for valid prayer, determining the qibla direction should not be taken lightly.

Generally, the position of Indonesia towards the Ka'bah is approximately 112 degrees northwest. There are many ways to find the qibla direction. However, it is important to measure it accurately. You can use mobile applications to determine the qibla direction. There is also a way to determine the qibla direction from the shadow of the sun, which is considered quite accurate.

READ ALSO: How to find the qibla direction online without an application easily and quickly

Even every year there is a time when the position of the sun is directly above the Ka'bah. This time can be used as a reference to determine or correct your qibla direction. There are many ways to determine your qibla direction, even when you are on a long journey and cannot find a mosque to worship and determine the qibla direction, you can use these methods.

And what are the correct and accurate ways to determine the qibla direction? According to various sources, here are some ways to determine the qibla direction that you must know. Let's check it out KLovers.

1. Understanding and History of Qibla

Illustration (credit: Freepik)

Qibla comes from the Arabic language, namely qiblah which is a derivation (masdar) form of the word qabila, which means reference for facing. So the word qibla itself means facing, which is something that people face towards. In Islamic law, the term qibla is then specifically used for something that Muslims face when performing prayers.

In terms of definition, qibla can be interpreted as the direction towards the Ka'bah in Mecca. Through the nearest route, where every Muslim must face that direction when performing prayers. In the history of the Abrahamic religions, there are two holy places that have been designated as the qibla in prayer, namely Baitul Maqdis (Bait al-Muqaddas) in Palestine and
Baitullah or the Ka'bah in Masjidil Haram, Mecca.

Until now, Baitul Maqdis is still the qibla for the Jewish people. The Prophet Muhammad himself once faced the qibla of Baitul Maqdis when he was still in Mecca and in Medina for 16 months (or 17
months). After that, revelation came regarding the qibla to the Ka'bah in Masjidil Haram, and this qibla became the qibla for all Muslims worldwide until the end of time. (Surah Al-Baqarah [2]: 142-150)

2. Qibla Location

Before knowing how to determine the accurate qibla direction, you must also know the qibla location well. For Muslims, it is known that the qibla is located in the middle of the Masjid al-Haram, Mecca, which is the location of the Kaaba. Facing the Kaaba is mandatory when performing any prayer except under certain conditions. This is in accordance with the evidence of Imam Abu Ishak Ibrahim bin Ali Yusuf Al Fairuzzabadi Al Syairazi in the book Al Muhadzdzab fi Fiqh Al Imam Al Syafi'i, which states:

"Facing the qibla is a condition for the validity of prayer except in two conditions, namely when the situation is extremely dangerous (war is raging) and performing voluntary prayers while traveling."

The qibla direction can vary from one area to another or from one country to another. Each location or point where you are has different latitude and longitude positions. In general, the position of Indonesia towards the Kaaba is approximately 112 degrees northwest. However, the estimation of the position of the Kaaba is still a subject of debate.

There is an opinion that facing directly west is considered the same as facing the qibla. However, some say that Indonesia's position towards the Kaaba is not directly west. The position of the Kaaba is slightly inclined to the right by 112 degrees northwest. If the position of the Kaaba in the Masjid al-Haram is measured from the north, then Indonesia's position is approximately 294.2 degrees.

3. How to Determine the Previous Qibla Direction

Illustration (credit: Freepik)

In the field of astronomy, qibla is the closest direction to the Ka'bah through the great circle when performing prayer. The Ka'bah or the House of Allah is a sacred building that serves as the center of worship for Muslims located in the city of Mecca. The Ka'bah is a cube-shaped structure known as the muka'ab in Arabic. And from that word, the term Ka'bah emerged.

The qibla issue is a matter of direction, namely the direction of the Ka'bah in Mecca. The direction of the Ka'bah is determined from every point or place on the Earth's surface through calculation and measurement. Therefore, calculating the qibla direction is essentially a calculation intended to determine the direction towards which the Ka'bah in Mecca is seen from a certain place on the Earth's surface.

As a result, all movements of a person performing prayer, whether standing, bowing, or prostrating, are always aligned with the direction towards the Ka'bah. The method to determine the qibla direction in the early period was to use a miqyas or an istiwa stick. This method utilized the shadow of the sun before and after zawal on the istiwa stick to determine the true west and east directions.

This is based on the shadow of the tip of the stick falling on a circle with the center point being the istiwa stick. After determining the true west and east directions to determine the qibla direction, the Rubu' Mujayyab is used as a tool to measure the coordinate of the qibla direction.

4. The Law of Facing the Qibla

Facing the Qibla is one of the requirements for the validity of prayer as stipulated by the Quran and Hadith. One of them is in the Quran, Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 150 which says:

"And from wherever you go out [for prayer], turn your face toward al-Masjid al-Haram. And wherever you [believers] may be, turn your faces toward it in order that the people will not have any argument against you, except for those of them who commit wrong; so fear them not but fear Me. And [it is] so I may complete My favor upon you and that you may be guided."

Which means: And from wherever you go out, turn your face toward al-Masjid al-Haram. And wherever you [believers] may be, turn your faces toward it, so that there is no argument against you from the people, except for those who have wronged among them. So do not fear them but fear Me. And so that I may complete My favor upon you and that you may be guided.

5. Using the Application

Illustration (credit: Freepik)

In addition to using traditional methods, nowadays you can easily determine the qibla direction with various advanced technologies. And one of them is by using applications on smartphones. You can take advantage of many applications that can be downloaded for free on the App Store (IOS operating system) and Google Play (Android operating system).

In these application stores, you will find hundreds or even thousands of applications to determine the qibla direction easily. Some applications that can determine the qibla direction are Visual Qiblah, Islamic Compass Qibladirection, Find Qibla Pro, Qibla Locator, and many more.

You can use one of these applications to determine the qibla accurately. Simply install it, and the application will determine the qibla direction based on your current location. But make sure that your smartphone supports the built-in compass feature, KLovers.

6. Using a Compass

Then another way to determine the qibla direction is by using a compass. It's almost similar to the application on your smartphone. However, this time you use a compass. You can use either a traditional compass or a digital compass on your smartphone, or even a qibla compass installed on a prayer rug.

A qibla compass is a regular compass equipped with a table or list of qibla directions from major cities. In addition, there are electronic compasses that use satellites to obtain local coordinates, allowing them to automatically indicate the qibla direction. Simply place the compass where you will perform prayer, then find the west direction where the qibla is located.

7. Using the Sun

Illustration (credit: Freepik)

And the last way to determine the direction of the Qibla is by using the sun. This method is actually used to make your Qibla direction more accurate, and it is one of the traditional ways to determine the Qibla direction. Every year, there is a time when the position of the sun is directly above the Ka'bah. This time can be used as a reference to determine or correct the Qibla direction. You can even try it yourself at home to correct the Qibla direction more accurately.

According to the National Aeronautics and Space Institute (LAPAN), the Qibla direction can be accurately seen when the calibration of the Qibla direction falls. This phenomenon is often called the Great Culmination, or Rasdul Qiblah in Arabic terms. Rasdul Qiblah literally means straightening the Qibla. There are two times of the Great Culmination that can be used as the calibration of the Ka'bah direction, which are on May 28th and July 16th.

In leap years, this time occurs on May 27th and July 15th. According to LAPAN, during this time, all shadows of objects that are perpendicular to the Earth's surface will face the Qibla direction. In 2020, which coincides with a leap year, Rasdul Qiblah falls on Wednesday, May 27th, 2020, and Wednesday, July 15th, 2020. In Indonesia, the exact time for calibrating the Ka'bah direction is at 16:18 WIB on May 27th, 2020, and at 16:27 WIB on Wednesday, July 15th, 2020.

Those are some ways to determine the correct and accurate direction of the Qibla for prayer. Of course, you must correct the Qibla direction when performing prayer because the Qibla direction is a prerequisite for valid prayer. If it is not in the correct direction, then your prayer may be invalid.

(kpl/dhm)