How to find qibla direction from my house?

The most important concern of people who move to a new house is the direction of qibla. People who pray in an unfamiliar place, especially those who move to a new house, may be confused about how to find the qibla. In this case, what do we do to find the qibla? Which way is the qibla? What should I do to determine the qibla direction correctly? You will find the answers to these and similar questions here.

Although there are many methods for determining the direction of Qibla, we will try to explain the most commonly used methods among them. You can apply one of the following ways to find the qibla in a practical way at home.

a) Finding the direction of Qibla with the help of a compass

The most important and valid method is, of course, to determine the direction of Qibla with a compass. In order to correctly determine the direction of Qibla with a compass at home, you need to pay attention to the following points. If possible, use the compass away from metal objects and objects that create magnetic fields. Places free from objects that create magnetic fields, places such as windows or balconies will be more suitable for compass use. Hold the compass in your hand, horizontal to the ground. Wait until the compass needle is stationary. The colored end of the compass needle points north. When you face north, your back will face south, your right arm will face east and your left arm will face west. You can then determine your qibla direction by taking into account the position of your country/city in relation to Mecca.

If you want to find the qibla more precisely with the help of a compass, you should do the following: First of all, you need to know the qibla degree for the compass in your location. Hold the compass in your hand, horizontal to the ground. Wait until the compass needle remains still. Turn the compass until the colored tip of the compass needle intersects N (North) on the compass bezel. Stop when N coincides with the colored tip of the compass needle. Find the qibla degree of your position clockwise from N. When the colored end of the needle is on N, you can pray by turning to the Qibla angle of your location. But for this you need to know the angle of Qibla for your location. For this, we recommend using qibla finder websites such as qiblafinder.org.

b) Finding the Qibla with the Qibla time

The qibla time is the time when the qibla is determined by the sun. The qibla clock is the most practical and accurate method for determining the direction of the qibla. Anyone who turns his face towards the sun at the time of the qibla clock will have turned in the direction of the Ka’bah and will have found the qibla of that place. You can use the website of the Presidency of Religious Affairs of Turkey to find out the qibla time in your country/city.

Let us continue with an example. A person living in London, England, wants to find the direction of qibla on June 2, 2024 by means of the qibla time. As a result of our research, the qibla time in London is 10:21 on that day. First of all, since we will find the qibla by using the sun, we should be in a sunny place (such as a window or balcony). When this time comes, the direction of the sun is the direction of qibla. In other words, if someone in London faces the sun at 10:21 on that day, they will be facing the direction of the Ka’bah and will have found the direction of Qibla in their location. The Qibla time changes daily, just like the prayer times. Therefore, you need to use the qibla time of the day you want to know the qibla direction of your city. (You can use this website to find out the qibla time of your city: https://namazvakitleri.diyanet.gov.tr/en-US/ )

c) Finding the Qibla via cell phone or internet

The easiest way is to find the qibla online. Thanks to the blessings of technology, finding the qibla direction has become even easier. It is now very easy to find the qibla direction with applications and websites that use Google Maps on the internet. You can quickly and easily determine the qibla direction of your location through these sites. Without a program, you can go down to the roof of your house from the satellite and learn your qibla direction line. You can find your qibla by applying the qibla direction line of your house to reference points such as houses, streets, etc. around you. We recommend you to use qiblafinder.org to determine the qibla with online maps.

You can also determine the direction of Qibla by using compass applications on your cell phone (your cell phone must have a compass sensor). First of all, you need to find out the qibla degree of your location or your home. With your cell phone’s location service enabled, run the compass application. Find the qibla degree of your location by turning the cell phone. The direction indicated by the qibla degree is your qibla direction. Again, the qibla direction applications that you can install on your cell phone from the Google Play Store or App Store will also help you find your qibla direction. In order to find the qibla with a cell phone, it is important to follow the principles of direction finding with a compass in order to get accurate results.

d) Finding the qibla according to the position of the sun

At home, you can find the cardinal directions depending on the position of the sun. You can then determine your qibla direction according to the cardinal directions. Wherever you are, the direction in which the sun rises is east. When you face the direction in which the sun rises, your back side is west. For the northern hemisphere, your right side is south and your left side is north. Based on this, you can estimate the qibla by determining which side Mecca (Saudi Arabia) is on from where you are.