Qibla direction: how to find which way to pray from anywhere

The Qibla is the direction Muslims face during prayer — toward the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Finding the correct Qibla direction is essential for valid prayer, but it's not as simple as "face east."

Why the Qibla Isn't Simply "East"

From North America, Mecca is roughly to the east — but not due east. Because Earth is a sphere, the shortest path between two points (called a "great circle") doesn't follow a straight line on a flat map.

For example:
- From New York, the Qibla direction is approximately 58° NE — closer to northeast than east
- From Los Angeles, it's about 23° NE — almost due north-northeast
- From Houston, it's about 48° NE

This seems counterintuitive when you look at a flat map, but if you trace the shortest path on a globe from New York to Mecca, it curves up over the North Atlantic and across northern Europe — heading northeast, not east.

How Qibla Direction Is Calculated

The mathematical formula uses spherical trigonometry to find the initial bearing of the great circle from your location to the Kaaba's coordinates (21.4225°N, 39.8262°E):

The calculation involves the latitude and longitude of both your location and Mecca, using the arctangent of the sine and cosine of the longitude difference, adjusted by the cosines and sines of both latitudes.

This gives the compass bearing in degrees, measured clockwise from true north.

Qibla by US City

Here are approximate Qibla directions for popular US cities:

| City | Qibla Direction |
|------|----------------|
| New York | 58° NE |
| Chicago | 49° NE |
| Houston | 48° NE |
| Los Angeles | 23° NNE |
| Dearborn | 54° NE |
| Philadelphia | 57° NE |
| San Francisco | 18° NNE |
| Seattle | 17° NNE |

Notice the pattern: cities on the West Coast have Qibla directions closer to north, while East Coast cities point more to the northeast.

How to Use a Compass

1. Find your Qibla angle using our prayer times tool — it's shown on every city page.
2. Open a compass on your phone or use a physical compass.
3. Point yourself to true north, then rotate clockwise by the Qibla angle.
4. Mark the direction in your room for future reference — a small sticker on the wall works well.

Important: Phone compasses show magnetic north, which differs from true north by a few degrees (called magnetic declination). For prayer purposes, the difference is small enough to be acceptable in most locations.

The Great Circle vs. Rhumb Line Debate

There's a longstanding discussion in Islamic scholarship about whether the Qibla should follow the great circle (shortest path on Earth's surface) or the rhumb line (constant compass bearing on a flat map).

Most scholars and organizations — including ISNA — use the great circle method, which gives the shortest actual distance to Mecca. This is the method used in our prayer times calculator and virtually all modern Qibla apps.

Shadow Method

In some parts of the world, you can find the Qibla using shadows at specific times when the sun is directly above the Kaaba (happens twice a year: approximately May 28 and July 16 at about 12:18 PM Mecca time). At those moments, any vertical object's shadow points away from Mecca — so facing opposite the shadow points you toward the Qibla.