Question 1

What is the Qibla?

Accepted Answer

The Qibla is the direction Muslims face during salah (prayer): toward the Kaaba in the Sacred Mosque (Masjid al-Haram) in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. The Qur'an instructs believers to turn their faces toward al-Masjid al-Haram (Qur'an 2:144). From any point on Earth it is a single compass bearing.

Question 2

How do I find the Qibla direction from my location?

Accepted Answer

Allow this page to access your location and it calculates the exact bearing to the Kaaba, then shows it on the compass. On a phone with a compass sensor, turn until the gold marker points up; on a desktop, use the degree reading (for example 118°) together with any compass.

Question 3

How can I find the Qibla without a compass?

Accepted Answer

Use the bearing this tool gives you (a number from 0 to 360 degrees measured clockwise from north) together with the sun or a map. At solar noon the sun sits due south in the northern hemisphere, giving you a north–south line to measure the Qibla angle from. Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, so at that moment shadows everywhere point along the Qibla.

Question 4

Why doesn't the Qibla point straight toward Mecca on a flat map?

Accepted Answer

The Qibla follows the shortest path across a sphere — a great-circle route — not a straight line on a flattened map. That is why many locations face the Kaaba along a surprising bearing; from North America, for instance, the shortest path to Makkah runs to the northeast rather than the southeast.

Question 5

How accurate is this Qibla finder?

Accepted Answer

The calculated bearing is mathematically precise from your coordinates. Real-world accuracy depends on your device: GPS location is usually within a few metres, but a phone's magnetic compass can drift by 5 to 15 degrees if it is not calibrated or is near metal or magnets.

Question 6

Is my prayer valid if I am slightly off from the exact Qibla?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The majority of scholars hold that facing the general direction of the Kaaba is sufficient when you cannot see it, and a minor deviation does not invalidate the prayer. Make a sincere effort to face correctly; if you later learn you were slightly off, most schools do not require you to repeat the prayer.

Question 7

Does the Qibla use true north or magnetic north?

Accepted Answer

This tool calculates the bearing from true (geographic) north. A physical magnetic compass points to magnetic north, which differs from true north by the local magnetic declination, so the two can disagree by several degrees depending on where you are.

Question 8

What are the coordinates of the Kaaba?

Accepted Answer

The Kaaba is located at approximately 21.4225° N latitude and 39.8262° E longitude, inside Masjid al-Haram in Makkah. This tool uses those coordinates to compute your Qibla bearing.

Question 9

How far is the Kaaba from my location?

Accepted Answer

This tool shows the great-circle distance to Makkah in kilometres alongside the direction. It ranges from a few hundred kilometres near the Arabian Peninsula to more than 13,000 km on the far side of the world.

Question 10

Can I use this Qibla compass offline?

Accepted Answer

You need a connection to load the page and read your GPS position the first time. Once your location and bearing are shown, the direction itself does not change while you stay in one place, so you can keep the page open and continue using it without a live connection.

Question 11

How do I calibrate my phone's compass?

Accepted Answer

Move your phone in a figure-eight motion a few times, away from metal objects, magnets, and cases with magnetic clasps. On many devices, opening the built-in Maps or Compass app and following its calibration prompt also recalibrates the sensor this page reads.

Question 12

Can I use Google Maps to find the Qibla?

Accepted Answer

Google Maps shows locations but does not give you a Qibla bearing directly. A dedicated Qibla finder like this one computes the great-circle direction to the Kaaba for you, which is more reliable than estimating a straight line on a map.

Question 13

Why do two Qibla apps show slightly different directions?

Accepted Answer

Small differences usually come from magnetic versus true north, an uncalibrated compass, slightly different Kaaba coordinates, or one app showing a rhumb line instead of the great-circle bearing. The underlying great-circle bearing to the Kaaba is fixed for a given location.

Question 14

Does this Qibla finder also show prayer times?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Alongside the Qibla direction, this tool calculates today's five daily prayer times — Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha — for your exact location, and lets you choose your calculation method (such as Muslim World League or ISNA) and your Asr school (Standard or Hanafi).

Question 15

What makes this Qibla finder different from other apps?

Accepted Answer

It goes beyond a simple spinning arrow: a live compass with the exact bearing and distance to Makkah, a sun-and-shadow method to find the Qibla when a compass isn't reliable, a 3D globe view of the great-circle path, built-in prayer times, saved locations you can recall in one tap, and fully private calculation that runs in your own browser.

Qibla Direction Finder

What makes this Qibla finder different

Live compass & exact bearing

Find the Qibla without a compass

See the path on a 3D globe

Prayer times, built in

Save your places

Private & offline-ready

What is the Qibla direction?

How to find your Qibla direction

Allow your location

Enable the compass

Turn to the marker

No sensor? Use the bearing

How the Qibla direction is calculated

Keep your dhikr count with a tasbih

Keep your dhikr count with a tasbih

Qibla direction from major cities

Qibla direction — your questions answered

About this tool