Qibla facts for kids
The qiblais 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 salah.
In Islam the Kaaba is believed to be a sacred site built by the prophets Abraham and Ishmael, and that its use as the qibla was ordained by God in several verses of the Quran revealed to Muhammad in the second Hijri year. Prior to this revelation, Muhammad and his followers in Medina faced Jerusalem for prayers.
Most mosques contain a mihrab (a wall niche) that indicates the direction of the qibla.
Images for kids
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A pilgrim makes a supplication in the direction of the Kaaba, the Muslim qibla, in the Sacred Mosque of Mecca.
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A prayer congregation in the United States prostrates in the same direction: the qibla.
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A map generated using the Craig retroazimuthal projection centered on Mecca. Unlike most map projections, it preserves the direction from any other point on the map to the center.
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A portion of the qibla table compiled by astronomer and muwaqqit Shams al-Din al-Khalili of Damascus in the 14th century. The qibla directions are listed in the Arabic sexagesimal notation.
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A map of an area in modern Cairo. Note that the mosques have slightly different orientations.
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The Islamic Center of Washington (founded 1953), one of the early mosques in the United States. Its qibla faces the northeast in line with astronomical calculations.
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The issue of the qibla in outer space arose publicly in 2007, with Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor's spaceflight to the International Space Station.
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See also
In Spanish: Alquibla para niños
