How to find the Qibla direction from anywhere in the world

The Qibla is the direction Muslims face when they pray: towards the Kaaba, in the Grand Mosque of Mecca, in Saudi Arabia. At home you probably know it by heart. In a hotel room, at the office or in a new city, you often have no idea, and there may be nobody to ask.

The good news is that you only need two things to find it: where you are, and a compass. Your phone has both.

Which way is the Qibla from your city?

The Qibla is not simply “towards Mecca on a flat map”. The Earth is round, so the right direction follows the shortest path across the globe, and it can be surprising. From New York, for example, it points north-east, not south-east, because the shortest route crosses the Atlantic towards Europe.

Some examples, in degrees from true north:

• Paris and London: about 119°, towards the south-east.
• New York: about 58°, towards the north-east.
• Bamako: about 72°, towards the east-north-east.
• Jakarta: about 295°, towards the west-north-west.
• Tokyo: about 293°, towards the west-north-west.

Ways to find the Qibla

• Ask at a mosque, or follow the direction of its mihrab, the niche in the prayer wall.
• Use a compass and the angle for your city. It works, but you need the exact number and a compass you can trust.
• Use the sun. Twice a year, around 28 May and 16 July, the sun stands almost directly above the Kaaba at midday in Mecca, and shadows point away from it. It is a beautiful fact, but rarely useful on the day you need it.
• Use your phone. It knows where you are and which way it is pointing, so it can do the calculation for you in seconds.

The free Qibla compass in Halal Food

Halal Food is a free app for everyday Muslim life, on iPhone, iPad and Android. Its Qibla compass calculates the direction from your exact position, and it is simple to use:

• Open the Quran tab and tap Qibla, then allow location access.
• Hold your phone flat and turn slowly until the Qibla lines up with the pointer.
• The phone vibrates when you are facing the right way, so you don’t need to stare at the screen.

It also shows the angle from true north and your distance to the Kaaba. Your location stays on your phone: the calculation happens there, and nothing is sent to our servers.

How to keep the compass accurate

Phone compasses are easily disturbed. Keep away from metal objects, magnets and magnetic phone cases, and hold the phone flat. If accuracy drops, Halal Food shows a short animation of the figure-eight movement that recalibrates it.

More than a compass

The same app helps with the rest of your day. Scan a barcode or an ingredient list to check whether a food is halal, look up any E-number, read and listen to the Quran, and find halal recipes from other Muslims. If you travel, it is a useful one to have on your phone before you leave.