The Qibla is the direction of the Kaaba in Makkah, and the quickest accurate way to find it is to enter your location in a Qibla finder. You can also use a compass with the Qibla angle for your city, the position of the sun on 27 or 28 May and 15 or 16 July, or a map. Each method below gives a direction accurate to a few degrees, which is enough for prayer.
For your own city, use our Qibla compass, which shows the angle from true north and the distance to the Kaaba.
What is the Qibla, and why does it matter?
The Qibla is the direction Muslims face in prayer. It is the Kaaba in the Sacred Mosque in Makkah. Allah says in the Quran: "So turn your face toward al-Masjid al-Haram. And wherever you are, turn your faces toward it" (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:144).
Facing the Qibla is a condition of the prayer for anyone who is able. A person near the Kaaba faces the building itself. A person far from it faces its direction. Scholars agree that someone who has made an honest effort to find the direction and prayed towards it has fulfilled the duty, even if later found to be a few degrees off.
Method 1: Use a Qibla finder (fastest and most accurate)
A Qibla finder computes the exact bearing from your coordinates to the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E) with spherical geometry.
- Open the Qibla compass and allow your location, or choose your city from the list.
- Read the angle shown, measured clockwise from true north.
- Turn to that angle with a compass, or follow the arrow if your phone has a built-in compass.
You can also open the Qibla page for your city, for example Qibla direction in Algiers, which gives the angle, the distance and the coordinates.
Method 2: Use a compass with the Qibla angle
If you know the Qibla angle for your city, a magnetic compass will do.
- Look up the Qibla angle (bearing from true north) for your location.
- Correct for magnetic declination, the difference between magnetic north (what the compass shows) and true north. Your local declination can be 0 to 20 degrees or more, and a compass without this correction can point the wrong way. Add or subtract declination as marked on a map or from a declination calculator.
- Keep the compass away from metal, magnets, phones and electronics.
Method 3: The sun over the Kaaba (twice a year)
Twice a year the sun is exactly overhead the Kaaba. At those moments, the shadow of any upright object around the world points away from the Kaaba, so the Qibla is the opposite direction of the shadow.
- 27 or 28 May, at 12:18 pm Makkah time (09:18 UTC)
- 15 or 16 July, at 12:27 pm Makkah time (09:27 UTC)
This works if the sun is above the horizon where you are, which means it suits the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Asia but not the Americas. Stand a straight stick upright on flat ground at the time, and the Qibla is the direction from the tip of the shadow to the base of the stick. A cheap and reliable way to fix a permanent line for your home or mosque.
Method 4: Use a map or a satellite view
Open a satellite map, find the Kaaba in Makkah, and look at the line from your location. Remember that a straight line on a flat map is not the Qibla. The shortest path between two places on the globe is a great circle, which looks curved on most maps. The direction to follow is the initial bearing of that great-circle route. For this reason a Qibla finder is more reliable than drawing a line on a flat map.
Method 5: Follow the local mosque
Where the mosque has been aligned by experts, you can follow it, and in a place with no tools, you can ask local Muslims. If you cannot find the direction in any way (for example while travelling), make your best effort and pray. The Prophet (peace be upon him) and the companions did the same, and the Quran says "To Allah belong the east and the west. Wherever you turn, there is the Face of Allah" (2:115).
Qibla angles for major cities
These are approximate bearings clockwise from true north. Use a finder for your exact location.
- Algiers: about 105°, towards the east-southeast, distance about 3,900 km
- London: about 119°, south-east
- New York: about 58°, north-east, not south-east as many people think
- Jakarta: about 295°, west-northwest
- Sydney: about 277°, west
If you live in North America, the Qibla points north-east because the shortest route to Makkah (a great circle) passes over the North Atlantic and Europe, which is not the direction a flat map suggests.
Common mistakes
- Using a magnetic compass without declination. The error can reach 20 degrees in some countries.
- Drawing a straight line on a flat map. Use bearings from a great-circle calculation.
- Confusing the bearing with the direction of Makkah by road. The Qibla is the direction to the Kaaba itself.
- Trusting a phone compass near metal. Move away from a car, a speaker or a steel table and calibrate the compass.
What if the Qibla is a little off?
A small error does not invalidate the prayer. Scholars say that people who are far from Makkah face the direction (jihah), not the exact building. If you later learn that your direction was off by a few degrees, you do not need to repeat the prayer. If you find out that the error was large during the prayer, you adjust and continue. The related guide to prayer times explains how to know when each prayer begins.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find the Qibla without a compass?
Use the sun on 27 or 28 May or 15 or 16 July at the times above, a satellite map, or a mosque nearby. At local solar noon the shadow of a stick points to true north in the Northern Hemisphere (true south in the Southern), and you can turn from that line by your Qibla angle.
Is the phone Qibla compass accurate?
It is accurate when it is calibrated and used away from metal. Check against a second source, such as a map or a nearby mosque.
What is the Qibla direction from the UK, USA or Canada?
From the UK it is south-east, about 119 degrees from north in London. From the east coast of the USA it is north-east, about 58 degrees in New York.
Do I have to face the exact Kaaba?
No, unless you can see it. Facing the correct direction is enough for those who are far away.
What if I am on a plane or a ship?
Face the Qibla at the start of the prayer if you can. If the vehicle turns and you cannot turn with it, continue as you are able. Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity (2:286).
This guide is educational and not a fatwa.