A Qibla compass or qiblah compass (sometimes also called qibla/qiblah indicator or ''qiblanuma'') is a modified

compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...

used by Muslims to indicate the direction to face to perform prayers. In

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...

, this direction is called

qibla The qibla ( ar, قِبْلَة, links=no, lit=direction, translit=qiblah) is the direction towards the Kaaba in the Sacred Mosque in Mecca, which is used by Muslims in various religious contexts, particularly the direction of prayer for the ...

, and points towards the city of

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow v ...

and specifically to the

Ka'abah The Kaaba (, ), also spelled Ka'bah or Kabah, sometimes referred to as al-Kaʿbah al-Musharrafah ( ar, ٱلْكَعْبَة ٱلْمُشَرَّفَة, lit=Honored Ka'bah, links=no, translit=al-Kaʿbah al-Musharrafah), is a building at the c ...

. While the compass, like any other compass, points

north North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north ...

, the direction of prayer is indicated by marks on the perimeter of the dial, corresponding to different cities, or by a second pointer set by the user according to their own location. To determine the proper direction, one has to know with some precision both the longitude and latitude of one's own location and those of Mecca, the city toward which one must face. Once that is determined, the values are applied to a spherical triangle, and the angle from the local meridian to the required direction of Mecca can be determined. The indicator usually consists of a round brass box with a hinged lid and an inset magnetic compass. A list of important Islamic places with their longitudes, latitudes, is inscribed in Arabic on all sides of the box. The compass has a blued steel needle with an open circle to indicate North. It is surmounted by a brass pyramidal pivot and a glass plate covers all. A brass ring over the rim of the compass carries a degree circle numbered in 'abjad' numerals and the cardinal points are marked. The folding triangular gnomon is supported by a decorative open-work motif. The lid of the box is secured by a hook fastener. The instrument serves the user to determine the correct 'qibla' - the direction to which Muslims turn in prayer to face the Ka'ba in Mecca. Ornate qibla compasses date back at least to the 18th century. Some recent versions use

digital Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits. Technology and computing Hardware *Digital electronics, electronic circuits which operate using digital signals ** Digital camera, which captures and stores digital ...

readout instead of a magnetic pointer.Digital Qibla Compass
/ref> Some qibla compasses also include a

tally counter A tally counter is a mechanical, electronic, or software device used to incrementally count something, typically fleeting. One of the most common things tally counters are used for is counting people, animals, or things that are coming and going fr ...

, used to count the repetition of various

du'a In Islam, ( ar, دعاء , plural: ' ) is a prayer of invocation, supplication or request, even asking help or assistance from God. Role in Islam Muslims regard this as a profound act of worship. Muhammad is reported to have said ...

said after prayer. Qibla compass

History

al-Ashraf Umar II Al‐Malik Al‐Ashraf (Mumahhid Al‐Din) Umar Ibn Yūsuf Ibn Umar Ibn Alī Ibn Rasul (), also as Umar Ibn Yusuf (or also Al-Asharaf Umar II) was the third Rasulid sultan and also an mathematician, astronomer and physician. Biography Umar Ibn ...

(d. 1296), sultan of the Sunni Rasulid Yemeni Caliphate, described the use of the compass as a qibla indicator in the 13th century. In a treatise about astrolabes and

sundials A sundial is a horological device that tells the time of day (referred to as civil time in modern usage) when direct sunlight shines by the apparent position of the Sun in the sky. In the narrowest sense of the word, it consists of a flat ...

, al-Ashraf includes several paragraphs on the construction of a compass bowl (''ṭāsa''). He then uses the compass to determine the north point, the meridian (''khaṭṭ niṣf al-nahār''), and qibla. This is the first mention of a compass in a medieval Islamic scientific text and its earliest known use as a qibla indicator, although al-Ashraf did not claim to be the first to use it for this purpose. http://www.uib.no/jais/v001ht/01-081-132schmidl1.htm#_ftn4
PDF version

Gallery

Turkish and Islamic Museum 0951.jpg, Qiblanuma incorporating a qibla compass. Istanbul, 1738

References

Islamic culture Salah Magnetic devices {{Islam-stub

History

Gallery

See also

References