Tools

Qibla direction

The direction of the Kaaba, as a bearing you can use with any compass — and as a live needle if your phone has a magnetometer.

N E S W

from Paisley Central Mosque, clockwise from true north

How to use it

Without a live compass, read the bearing in degrees and set it on any compass (including the one built into most phones). With the live compass on, hold the phone flat and turn yourself until the green needle points straight up — you are then facing the qibla.

The figure is a great-circle bearing to the Kaaba at 21.4225°N, 39.8252°E — the same calculation printed qibla charts use. From Paisley it is about 118°, a little south of east.

A phone compass is affected by metal, speakers and magnets. If the needle drifts, move away from the car or radiator and wave the phone in a figure of eight to recalibrate. The mihrab in the masjid is always the surest guide.