The Prophetic Miracle in Determining the Qibla from Sana’a

Introduction

In the contemporary era, technology offers sophisticated tools like compasses and Google Earth to precisely determine the direction of the Qibla – the orientation towards the Kaaba in Mecca, which Muslims face during their prayers. These modern conveniences allow for the accurate calculation of the shortest distance between any point on Earth and the Kaaba, ensuring prayers are directed correctly. However, centuries ago, such advanced instruments and detailed maps were non-existent. The first comprehensive world map, for instance, was created by Al-Idrisi in 1154 CE, more than five centuries after the Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) migration. Even this early map contained inaccuracies, such as misplacing Yemen to the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula and Oman to the northeast. Despite these limitations, the Prophet Muhammad’s (ﷺ) guidance on Qibla determination was remarkably precise and consistently accurate, a testament to the divine revelation he received. This article explores a Prophetic Miracle in Determining the Qibla.

The Prophetic Miracle

The miraculous precision is vividly illustrated by an account recorded in the Sunnah, predating modern cartography and satellite technology by many centuries.

This narrative, recounts the Prophet’s instructions to Wabr ibn Yuhannas al-Khuzai when he was dispatched as a governor to Sana’a, Yemen. The Prophet (ﷺ) commanded him:

Abd al-Razzaq narrated: that the Messenger of Allah, (peace and blessings be upon him), commanded Wabr ibn Yuhannis al-Ansari when he sent him to (Sana’a) as its governor, saying: “Call them to the faith (Iman). If they obey you in that, then establish the prayer (Salat). If they obey you in that, then command the building of a mosque for them in the garden of (Badhan), from the rock that is at the foundation of (Ghumdan), and face with it the mountain that is called (Dīn) *

This directive is remarkable for its specificity and accuracy. The Prophet (ﷺ), who had never visited Yemen, precisely identified the location for the mosque’s construction a site still known today as “Al-Sakhra al-Mulmalama”. More astonishingly, he provided a precise Qibla direction: “make it to the right of a mountain called Din.” Jabal Din (Mount Din) is located approximately 30 kilometers from Sana’a. The distance separating Sana’a from the Kaaba in Mecca is roughly 815 kilometers.

Sheikh Abdul Majeed Al-Zindani, who has conducted extensive research on this miracle, emphasizes the profound implications of this prophetic instruction: “He (ﷺ) never visited Yemen, nor did he see Jabal Din, nor witness the garden of Badhan, nor Al-Sakhra al-Mulmalama. The people of his time did not know the distance separating Mecca from Sana’a. All of this testifies that what the Prophet (ﷺ) said was beyond the capacity of any human in his era, and even for many centuries after him. Indeed, it was divine revelation and divine knowledge. And Allah spoke the truth when He said:

He does not speak out of (his own) desire. It is but revelation revealed (to him).” [An-Najm:3–4]

When the mosque was built in Sana’a according to the Prophet’s (ﷺ) precise instructions, the Qibla was oriented towards Jabal Din. Centuries later, with the advent of satellite technology, researchers were able to draw a line from the Qibla of the Sana’a mosque towards Jabal Dhin (the line intersects the peak of the mountain in the video and the KML file below) and then extend it towards Mecca. Astonishingly, this line was found to extend in a perfectly straight path directly to the wall of the Kaaba, between the corner and the Black Stone, without any deviation or curvature.

References

Kml (Google earth file) File

درجة الحديث الوارد في مسجد صنعاء الكبير وكيفية تحديد قبلته *

إعجاز السنة في تحديد القبلة

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