Muslims worldwide can use sun to verify Qibla on July 15

The phenomenon will occur at 12:26:44 p.m. local time in Makkah, when the sun reaches an altitude of 90 degrees.

KARACHI: The sun will be positioned directly above the Kaaba in Makkah on Wednesday, July 15, causing the sacred structure to cast virtually no shadow and providing Muslims around the world with an opportunity to accurately determine the direction of the Qibla without the use of a compass.

According to the Jeddah Astronomical Society, the phenomenon will occur at 12:26:44 p.m. local time in Makkah, when the sun reaches an altitude of 90 degrees directly above the Kaaba. In Pakistan, the event will take place at 2:26:44 p.m. PST.

When the sun is directly overhead, the Kaaba and the sun align along the same vertical line, eliminating the Kaaba’s shadow.

At that exact moment, anyone outside the polar regions can face the sun to determine the Qibla, with the direction toward the sun corresponding to the direction of the Kaaba.

The astronomical event occurs twice each year because of the Earth’s orbit around the sun. It has long been used as a simple and reliable method for verifying the direction of prayer.

Historically, people would place a vertical stick in the ground during the event and use the shadow it cast to identify the Qibla, with the direction opposite the shadow indicating the direction of the Kaaba.