the advisory of those who face the qiblah

submission productions presents:

THE ADVISORY OF THOSE WHO FACE THE QIBLAH

directed toward the residents who face themselves in prayer like travelers

Clarification that one must face the direction in prayer, and not a travel route, that the shape of the Earth does not

influence the prayer direction, that the line drawn over the globe is curved, not straight, and that the method that lead to

praying northeast is altogether invalid.

T H E A D V I S O R Y O F T H O S E W H O

F A C E T H E Q I B L A H

ALL MAPS AND PROJECTIONS CONTAINED HEREIN ARE ONLY APPROXIAMATIONS



In the name of Allah this debate is produced after having the issue of the Qiblah presented in a way that dictated study and

concentration. It is a refutation of some of what is in a famous book prepared with the purpose of defending the north-eastern

Qiblah in North America. If what will be refuted in this booklet is sufficiently discredited, then everything in that textbook that

validates northeast as the Qiblah in North America is discredited.

Fortunately, that

neglected by the reader. Unfortunately, however, it is dangerous from two points of view:

1. He who thinks he understands this issue properly will become more confused by the book without realizing it. This is because it is jammed with so much information, which in the end was all inserted with the goal of (mis)leading a

person towards what is actually a mistake. It is reminiscent of the books of Dr. York in the respects that it is loaded

while actually he lost his way.

2. T in the wrong direction, and intimidate the person who

prays in the correct direction. Truly, the most powerful aspect of the book is only its thickness and its pictures. When

looking past those, it becomes clear that the book is like a cowardly giant, intimidating others only by its size, while

its heart is as weak and measly as that of a child.

Its academic approach may have caused many of those who are on the right path to lower their heads, for the masses of the

people are not equipped to deal with the fallacies and mathematics presented therein. As a service to those poor Muslims who

are not vastly knowledgeable about the different aspects of geography, geometry, trigonometry and the like, here are answers

from basic Fiqh and simple matters of logic.

This book is not necessarily to convince those who pray northeast, and hopefully they will be convinced, but to assure and

empower those who face the proper direction, and sway those who are doubtful. There is no math or special terminology, but

there are a few diagrams that address the most basic and vital matters needed to understand the case and repel the fallacies.

It is not a condition that this work be comparable to that one in size, for surely Allah gave victory to His Prophet Dawud

(David) � in the face of the arrogant giant Jalut (Goliath).

Certainly, Allah supports those who support His Religion, and He helps those who help their fellow Muslim.



Table of Contents THE DIRECTIONS ............................................................................................. 5

THE OBLIGATION OF FACING THE KA^BAH ................................................. 9

UNRAVELLING AN OPTICAL ILLUSION ........................................................... 15

PEOPLE WHO FACE NORTHEAST DO NOT READ THE MAP ......................... 24

MORE ILLUSIONS ............................................................................................ 31

MAKKAH IS SOUTHEAST OF THE U.S.A. AND CANADA ................................ 42

FURTHER NORTHEAST FALLACIES ................................................................. 48

1. Rejecting logic: ...................................................................................... 48

2. Refusal of the Sunnah:......................................................................... 48

3. Considering the surface (or shape) of the earth: ...................................... 50

4. ..................................................... 54

5. Claiming the position of the majority ..................................................... 60

6. Claiming the permissibility of facing any direction, or praying in both

directions ..................................................................................................... 60



THE DIRECTIONS

There are four cardinal directions and six relative directions. The cardinal directions are

personal position. They are north, south, east

and west. Their religious references will be mentioned briefly. The relative directions are

up, down, left, right, forward and behind. They are called relative because what is in front

of one person, in relation to another, may be behind. Therefore, the east, which is a fixed

direction, may be to one person right, but to another person

relative directions. We also confirm these relative directions, as At-Tahawiyy1 did in his

documentation of the unanimous conviction of Ahlus-Sunnah:

n Him, as is the case of the created things.

A person who supports the north eastern direction should agree to all of this, or else he

would be denying reality, and further discussion would be futile2, and there are some who

disagree3, may Allah save us from the degradation of contradicting the Religion.

The directions are physically confirmed and existing. This is true because Allah existed

before directions. The Messenger of Allah said4:

1 At-Tahawiyyah

2 So do not continue the conversation, he is too ignorant to understand. 3 Some who believe that the proper Qiblah is northeast believe that the cardinal directions are relative. They are confused, and have confessed that they are not sure if Africa is east of the U.S.A. or not. 4 Al-Bukhariyy



This proves that the directions have an actual, created existence, because at once they did

not exist. They are not just mere concepts without actual reality. Some scholars defined the

-l-Isha .

For anyone who may be doubtful if those directions actually exist, know that the scholars of

Creed, as well as the scholars of Usul-Fiqh and Hadith, have confirmed that sound senses

are a channel for creatures to achieve definite, certain knowledge5. An-Nasafiyy said:

The people of the truth said:

The realities of things are confirmed, and the knowledge about them is true, as opposed to

the Sophists. There are three channels through which the creations would have knowledge:

the sound senses, the (absolutely) truthful information6, and the mind.

All who have sound senses (and intellects) are able to confirm that there are directions, and

that those directions have an actual existence; they are not mere concepts or ideas. One

can simply point, or even look into a direction, thereby confirming it. In fact, as a person

faces east, the north is to his left, the west is behind him and the south is to his right. If he

faces south, the north is behind him, the east is to his left and the west is to his right.

Remember this fact for the rest of your life. It will come back for understanding a lot of

what is in this booklet.

The Religious proof teaches us, and all humans know -Muslim or not- that the east is the

direction from which the sun rises:

5 ):

Imamul-H

6 Tawatur and the News from a Prophet supported by miracles.



<( )>7

ah makes the sun come from the east. B ring it from

It is from that direction- the east- that we know the time of the Dawn Prayer is first in, even

if one were at the North Pole. The west is the direction in which the sun sets, and it is from

that direction that we know that the Night Prayer is first in. The Messenger of Allah said8:

If the night approaches from here (and he signaled to the east), and the daylight disappears from here (and he signaled to the west), and the sun has set, the fasting person breaks fast.

We watch the western horizon to break our fasts and to spot the new moon. The north is

known by the North Star, and the south is its opposite. The North Star, also known as the

Polaris, is included in the saying of Allah:

<( )>9

<They are guided by the star>

These proofs were mentioned in case a misguided person produces the idea that the

directions are not truly exiting, like some people who liken Allah to the creations do. It

would not be surprising for a person who is stubborn about the incorrect northeastern

qiblah to claim this if cornered.

Hence, when determining the direction of prayer, and not the distance between our

location and Makkah, we are concerned with the four cardinal directions that we just

referenced with religious proof: north, south, east and west.

7 Al-Baqarah, 258 8 Sahih Al-Bukhariyy 9 An-Nahl, 16



If we use a map to talk about these directions, like a globe, then we must read it as a map,

and not look at it as a ball. Our concern is praying, not travelling, relocating or moving. It is

when travelling that one is concerned with the shortest distance between his location and

his destination, and is additionally concerned with the relative directions of forward and

behind, above, below, right and left, not when praying10.

Part of understanding the mistake of those who face northeast is knowing that they have

mixed between these two sets of directions, the relative and the cardinal. Despite that

Makkah is south of the U.S.A., their fallacy is to say that if one initiates a travel going

northeast (which is a cardinal direction), and then stayed on a straight course in the

direction of forward (which is a relative direction), without going to the right or the left

(relative directions), he would reach Makkah, which is southeast from us. They say that one

must face north while confessing that Makkah is south of the U.S.A. The Qiblah is not an

issue of travel, nor an issue of distance, it is an issue of facing a direction. Nor is it an issue

of math, especially not advanced math, but it is a religious issue that must follow religious

guidelines. They have abandoned the religious rules; the Sunnah, and invalidated their

prayers by leaving out a condition: facing the Qiblah.

10 If one wanted to plot the quickest, shortest course for an airplane, then it would be useful to look at the

globe as a ball, but when labelling directions after that, one must account for all changes in direction in that

plotted course.



THE OBLIGATION OF FACING THE KA^BAH

q a

of that which you face. Religiously, the Qiblah is the Ka^bah, that known building first

erected by the father of men, Prophet Adam �, and later rebuilt by our Master, Prophet

Ibrahim (Abraham) � after it was destroyed in the flood of Prophet Nuh (Noah) � .

an, we are ordered with facing the Ka^bah which is contained in Masjidul-

Haram. This is a condition for the validity of the prayer that would be achieved by two

steps:

1.

2. Without concerning oneself with the issues of travel, distance, motion, or the shape

of the earth, and without one imagining himself praying through the earth, over the

earth, or any other irrelevant matter, one uses the religious references to his utmost

ability to simply face that said direction. Abu Hanifah clarified the unanimous rule

about facing the Qiblah11:

The east is the Qiblah of the people of the west, the west is the Qiblah of the people of

the east, the south is the Qiblah of the people of the north, and the north is the Qiblah of

the people of the south.

11 ):



We verify this Consensus by pointing out that the Muslims adhered to this rule since the

time of the Prophet, and it was the people of North America who broke that Consensus,

the Qiblah in North America (and the evidence of that for them is the obvious difference

about northeast versus southeast that is now existing) that there is a consensus: the same

rule that existed for over a millennium. It applies to us also.

Merely facing the direction, and not knowing the distance, is the easy obligation Allah

ordained when He said in His Book:

<( )>12

{Turn yourselves towards its direction}

This only requires vision and knowing how to locate the sun, shadows, stars, and other

creations of Allah.

t the

direction . This is a direct result of their

deviance in this issue: abandoning the direction. Ash-Shafi^iyy said that the shatr is the

jihah (direction)13.

12 Al-Baqarah, 150

13 ()

tt t



We are not ordered to calculate a travel route to face, nor to measure the surface of the

earth, nor to know the distance between towns and regions, which not every person is

capable of performing. We are simply ordered to face the direction.

Very few people who face northeast know the true rules for facing the Qiblah, as well as

many who face southeast. Before proceeding, let us give brief, proper instruction on how to

face the Qiblah. Imam An-Nawawiyy said14:

making a determination (ijtihad). If unable, he takes the word of a trustworthy person who

informs him based on knowledge. If that is missing, and one were able to make a

determination, it is

1. y seeing it, then you may

not use any other means to face it, not the word of another, nor a determination by

using the likes of the stars or shadows.

2. If you cannot achieve knowledge of the Ka^bah because you cannot see it, then

before making a determination (making ijtihad by the sun, stars, etc.), you take the

word of a trustworthy person who informs you by his knowledge; his seeing the

Ka^bah- not one who is informing you of his own determination (ijtihad).

3. If you do not have knowledge of the Ka^bah by seeing it, nor are you informed by

a trustworthy person who sees it, then you can make your best determination

(ijtihad), and then face what is your overwhelming speculation of its direction. From

the U.S.A. and Canada, it is certainly southeast, but the degree of south varies from

14 Minhaj At-Talibin



place to place. A person following this step cannot imitate another; you cannot rely

on another person s Qiblah determination.

4. If you are unable to make a determination because of being blind or a child who

does not yet possess the skill to make a proper determination, then you may imitate

another. This is why An-Nawawiyy also said:

references, like the blind, he imitates a trustworthy, knowledgeable person.

Over 1,000 years ago, the scholars mentioned the easy, religiously recognized signs for

determining the Qiblah. An-Nawawiyy also said15:

It is not valid to make the determination (for the Qiblah) except by using the (religiously

recognized) Qiblah references, and they are many. There are books authored about them.

The weakest of them is the wind because of its fluctuation, and the strongest of them is the

Polaris (North Star).

When one makes his determination for the direction, he uses the previously mentioned

signs. Since Makkah is southeast of our position, as will be demonstrated shortly, then one

can find the east in the morning by finding the horizon of sunrise, face that direction, and

then turn to the right slightly. At night, he may also find the North Star, turn his back to it

for the south, and then turn to his left to face southeast. If he relies on the sunset, then he

puts his back to it so that he faces the east and then he turns to the right to face south of

15 ): Rawd At-Talibin



east. At the zenith (noon), one can know north and south by facing the sun. In the southern

regions like Australia, the sun will be in the northern sky, and in the northern regions, like

the U.S.A. and Canada, it will be in the southern sky, etc.

What is mentioned here is simple and applicable by all people, not just mathematicians

and geographers. In fact, as will be seen if Allah willed, the method used to (falsely) verify

the north eastern qiblah is impractical for an illiterate person or someone who does not

know the shape of the earth. For example, people who support northeast have said:

qibla direction for any point on the Earth. Indeed, this direction can be easily computed using the following one-line formula:

where ( 1, 1) is the latitude-longitude of your location, and ( 2, 2) = (21.42, 39.83) is the latitude- , specifies the angle of qibla

There is nothing easy about that for the layman, and it is in contradiction with the authentic

hadith16:

We are an illiterate nation. We do not write and we do not calculate

We do not cite this hadith to discredit knowledge, literacy or math. It is cited to prove that

the religious obligations are easy matters achieved by both the literate and the illiterate.

The illiterate can still read the stars and watch the sun and shadows. These are the proper

means for determining the Qiblah, not advanced mathematics,

what degree does the curve in the earth have

16 Al-Bukhariyy, Muslim and others



to be to nullify the Sunnah in their claim, and which imam documented that? Is there not a

curve between Makkah and Morocco, albeit less than the curve between the U.S.A. and

Makkah? What about the curve between Makkah and Australia? How can they validly be

on the Sunnah, but we cannot be? Why are they permitted to ignore the shape of the earth

but we are obligated to know it? Knowing the shape of the earth is not an obligation, nor a

condition for the Qiblah.

annot use any new inventions or devices

besides f those other means comply with the original signs

for finding the Qiblah, then they are permissible, like a tested compass. One should not

purchase a compass and rely on it without testing it against the likes of the North Star. On

the other hand, if devices or new inventions contradict those known signs, like putting a

string on the globe or calculating distance on the e

the original signs are preserved.

manufactured by people who support the northeastern qiblah. Many of the laymen believe

that these compasses point towards the Qiblah. People who know about compasses know

that a compass gives one the (magnetic) north, not the Qiblah. The way these actually work

is that they point north like any other compass, but it has a prepared line that marks the

northeast. Laypeople then just face the line and have no clue that they have been mislead.

If that is clear, then let us proceed to unravel some fallacies in the book of Nuh Keller:



UNRAVELLING AN OPTICAL ILLUSION

Be certain that each cardinal direction is different from the other; they are not one and the

same. Had they all been the same, there would be no way to distinguish between one

direction and the other, and a person would be unable to point east with one hand and

west in the other direction with the other hand, as reported about the Prophet, and this is

invalid. Thus, north is not the same as south, east or west; south is not the same as north,

east or west; east is not the same as north, south or west, and west is not the same as north,

south or east.

Some of those directions are opposite of the others, like south and north, and some are

not, like south and east. The existence of a thing negates its opposite in

reference to the same time and place, like black and white, up and down, existence and

non existence, and south and north.

South is definitely the opposite of north. This is a simple truth, and one may think that

repeating it is an insult to the intelligence, and surely it is not expected that someone would

contradict this, but we will see that Nuh Keller, and many who defend northeast, did

contradict it, and they hinted to an impossibility that is nothing more than an overturning of

reality.

If what has been presented thus far is clear, then understand the fallacy of Nuh Keller, who

used optical illusions to support the northeastern qiblah. Among those illusions is what he

used to deny the reality of the directions, and give the impression that they are only virtual:



This picture is a cropped scan from his book. It implies that north and south are not

opposites, and in fact, that they have no actual reality, and are instead just ideas of men.

This diagram is not correct for two reasons17:

1. In reality (the actual physical world), one would never walk in one cardinal

direction, north for example, without turning or curving, and then that direction

becomes the other (south). In the physical world, the real world, not the imaginary

one, all directions are different. Going from north to south requires a curve (a

change in direction); a curve that is not expressed in this diagram, thus promoting

one illusion among several. As for the globe, it has a curve, and the line drawn over

17 This does not mean that there are not other reasons.



it or the string placed over it will certainly curve. Because they do not know how to

read a map, or because they do not want to, they claim that this curve is a straight

line and one direction. They claim is the direction

, which is invalid, because the directions in the issue of the Qiblah are

the cardinal directions, not the relative.

2. This picture implies that there is a place on earth in which east, west and north all

become south; that a person could stand in a place in which what is in front of him

is the same direction as what is behind him, which would also be what is to his right,

which would be the same as what is to his left: south. In the imaginary world, this

place exists as the result of imaginary lines meeting in one place, but in the real

world, this place does not exist.

No one can say that this diagram is like the one who climbs to the peak of a mountain,

because there is no mountain top at which all directions are the same.

Also, denial of this illusion does not imply that we are saying that the earth is flat. Actually,

this diagram itself is covertly saying that there is an edge to the earth from which one could

fall, since all directions disappear but one: south.

Furthermore, had there been such a place on the earth- a place in which there is no

direction but south, no human would be able to fit in that place, because his front cannot

be in the same direction as his back, nor can his right be in the same direction as his left. In

fact, the photographs of the North Pole (which is said to be a place that is not on any stable

land mass) show it to be a place like every other: with four cardinal directions, including the

directions of sunrise and sunset (east and west).

So, whoever confirms that directions are real and that each direction is different from the

other, must confirm that this picture is an illusion, and if this picture does not contain an

illusion, it is valid that all directions- north, east, south and west- would be the same, and

that the sun could rise from one horizon, which would be the south, and set in the other,

opposing horizon, which would still be the south. If someone accepts this impossibility,



then there is no need for further discussion. And so, shame on Muslims who have

accepted such absurdities after the Muslims have been the true masters of logic, and shame

on the one who attributes this to the Religion of Allah, tabaraka wa ta ^ala. Actually, even

the non-Muslims know that the direction from North America and Canada is southeast,

because they read the map. Among them are those who have written against the Muslims

and belittled them for facing northeast in North America, and among them are those who

say to the Muslim

BENEFIT: Some scholars said that there are few people who escape the mistake of

imagination. Muslims do not compare reality to imagination. The religious knowledge

teaches us to distinguish between what is confirmed by the intellect and what is conjured in

the imagination. One should not judge matters that have not been seen or experienced by

what one has imagined. There are many examples, such as:

1. The sun seemingly sinking into the ocean at sunset at the seashore.

2. Many imagine things without actual proof, s

bedroom light on while his car is parked out front. A person with an unsound

mind, one who cannot resist and think past his imagination, takes that as definitive

proof for his friend being home.

3. Some of our scholars even counted reflections as a type illusion, and for that reason

a person may see himself wider or taller than he is in reality, or may even see the

vastness of the sky in a small puddle.

4. Also, it is the imagination that concludes that Allah exists in a place, because one

cannot imagine something without shape, form or color, and without beginning or

end. However, the sound mind dictates that Allah exists without a place, because

He existed before creating places and directions.

These people have believed that the North Pole is a place from which every direction is the

same direction, south, because of imaginary lines used to designate coordinates on a map.



Those lines do not truly exist, and the place at which these imaginary lines merge, the place

that they claim has no direction but south, is only an imaginary place. It will also become

clear, by the help of Allah, that they arbitrarily reject these lines when they want and

reference them when they want. They assumed that reality complies with this imagination.

However, what proves that this imagination is falsehood in the real world is that they

confirm a physical fact that the North Pole has a sunrise and sunset. Here are some other

optical illusions to help you solve this riddle:

Figure 1 was the impossible triangle .

The shading in figure one gives the illusion that it is a three dimensional object. It also gives

the illusion that the sides of this imagined three dimensional object are entwined with a

beginningless, endless entwinement, because it appears that the front of the triangle goes to

the rear and the rear goes to the front.



Figure 2 illusion of black dots

Figure 3 illusion of curved lines

One can find many, many optical illusions drawn by people. Among the secrets to making

an illusion is shading or lines that give the false impression of a three dimensional object,

whether cubical, cylindrical or spherical. Now that you are more familiar with illusions,

revisit the diagram of Nuh Keller:



Recognize the fundamental mistakes in this illusion:

1. Part of his mistake is that he started from the North Pole. The known religious

reference is the Ka^bah, in Makkah, not the North Pole. At this point, the person

(or reference) point is the North Pole. If he cannot bring it, then he must be silent

about this issue.

Advice to any person defending the southeastern Qiblah: if this issue comes up in

the discussion; if you ask for proof that one must use the North Pole as a reference,

nothing should be accepted before him producing a reference (for which there are

none), or until he admits that he does not have a reference. He will try hard to slide

out of this imposition, but do not let him. Once he admits that he does not have a

reference, then and only then move on. If he is honest, he will easily admit it, but if



his true concern is to win the debate, and not to establish the truth, he will refuse

this imposition and refuse to answer.

2. Another part of his mistake is that he abandoned the religiously recognized signs

for determining the directions, and instead, he preferred imaginary markers. Our

Religion is easier than that, applicable by the literate and the illiterate. According to

his diagram, directions are determined by imaginary markers, not the signs of Allah

like the sun and the stars. According to this, a person could be facing the north, and

instead of going back in the other direction, take one step in the same direction,

and be facing the south.

In the real, physical world, a learned Muslim would look for the sunrise to know the east,

for the sunset to know the west, and for the North Star to know the north, and put his back

to it for the south. If he is in the northern part of the world, he can also face the sun at its

zenith for the south, and turn his back to it for the north. Those imaginary markers do not

truly determine the directions, and the globe is not among - ; the religious

proofs for determining the Qiblah. It is by the signs created by Allah that the directions are

determined- at least this is the case for the Muslim who wants to practice like the Prophet

� and his Companions. The Messenger of Allah said18:

, the best of the slaves of Allah are those who observe

the sun, the moon, the stars and the shadows for the remembrance

of Allah (the Prayer)

Among what demonstrates that they believe that this imaginary realm exists, this

18 At-Tabaraniyy and others



in a debate against us, Another point (among many others) that indicates the invalidity of your

method in some parts of the world is that it becomes insufficient in determining the Qiblah

direction at the two poles. A religiously method that is valid all over the world should not become

insufficient to determine the direction of Qiblah at the poles ad a person

truly been at the Poles, the east would still be the direction of sunrise, and the west would

be the direction of sunset. In our Religion, the sun sets in the west until the day it shall rise

from its place of setting. That is among the Major signs of Judgment Day. On that day, the

Door of Repentance will be closed, and the Beast of the Earth emerges. There is no

inconsistency in using the Sunnah of the Qiblah at the Poles. What this man said is due to

a creed that implies that the Revealed Laws are not applicable all over the world and until

the end of time, a creed generated by misapplying the rules and following wahm (delusion;

imagination).

Had Nuh Keller demonstrated in his picture that there is a curve; a change in direction-

which will be shortly demonstrated-, then we would be unable to argue. Instead, he left the

impression that there is no curve; no change in direction, to encourage people to pray in

the wrong direction.

For him to explicitly confess that there is a curve (change in direction) is to open himself up

for rebuttal. The direction between points A and B is not the shortest distance between the

two points. It is the shortest distance without a curve (without a change in direction); the

shortest distance with a straight line. As for the shortest distance over a curved surface, this

is the concern of the traveler, not the person performing the prayer.



PEOPLE WHO FACE NORTHEAST DO NOT READ THE MAP

People who face northeast have disgraced themselves, not for any faulty math, but because

they seemingly do not know how to read a map. The essence of their mistake is that they

earth is not flat, therefore

to read a map, then he would easily accept. If he knows how, then he would sa

string is turning; east, to east, then to southeast, and that is not a

actually. Look at it from the top and see that it is a straight line; the shortest distance from

New York to Makkah. This answer of theirs is a result of not actually reading the map.

They are like a person who only looks at the pictures in a book without reading the words,

and then misinterprets the pictures because of not reading. One does not read the book,

either because he does not know how, or because he does not want to. This is why they

discuss the issue of the Qiblah with any round object, but reject any map that is not a globe;

reading the map is not their concern. This is why they ignore the latitude-longitude

coordinates that prove that Makkah is southeast of the U.S.A., and this is why the issue

makes sense in their minds. If they were looking at the globe as a map, then their claim

would be as ridiculous to them as it is to everyone who reads it as a map, but if they look at

it like a mere object or sphere, seeking the shortest distance (and not the direction)

between points A and B and not being concerned with the cardinal directions of north,

south, east and west, then their math is correct (for the shortest distance between two points

on an object).

This is how one reads a map: Mapmakers draw two sets of lines: a set of east-west lines,

parallel to the Equator, and a set of north-south lines crossing the Equator. The result is a

grid, a network of reference lines for pinpointing locations and establishing distance and

direction between places:



The position of a point north or south of the Equator is known as its latitude . Its lines are

called parallels of latitude or simply parallels . Lines of latitude run east-west, but north-

south positions are referenced by them. The entire U.S.A. and Canada has a higher degree

of latitude than Makkah, so Makkah is to the south.

A second set of lines passing through the poles is known as meridians of longitude , or

simply meridians . One meridian is designated as the Prime Meridian. The position east

or west of a prime meridian is its longitude . Lines of longitude (meridians) run north-

south but east-west positions are referenced by them. There is no difference in opinion that

Makkah is to the east.

Here are other projections with respective latitude and longitude lines:



Figure 4: latitude and longitude lines with their degrees

Figure 5: a flat map is still valid if the landmasses comply with the grid properly



Figure 6: different projections have different goals, but if the parrallels and maridians are correct, the map is

correct

It is for this reason our determination of Makkah being southeast of the U.S.A. does not

contradict any map; we are actually reading the map and following its rules. The person

who knows how to read a map knows that as long as the fall on the grid

(latitude and longitude lines) properly, then the distortion of the map is irrelevant. The

distortion exists because different maps have different purposes. When did the Muslims

become ignorant of how to read maps?

Therefore, the Equator is 0 on any map, even if the projection of that map shows the

Equator bending, broken, closer to the top of the page, or closer to the bottom. Also, the

North Pole is 90 on any map, no matter the projection or distortion of the map. Observe

other projections. If the latitude and longitude lines are properly distributed, then Makkah

is southeast of the U.S.A. on all of them:



Figure 7: Demonstrating the relationship between a globe and a fat map



says yes, then he must face southeast as per reading the map as it should be read. If he says

no, then why is he calling his line northeast ? Knowing north on the map is by latitude

lines, and knowing east on the map is by longitude lines. That is as far as reading a map is

concerned. In reality, knowing north would be by the North Star and knowing east would



be by the sunrise. However, a mere ball or sphere is not looked at as having north or

south. Once we assign north or south on the ball or sphere, it became a sort of map, and

then must be read as maps are read.

The person who supports northeast cannot hold both sides. If he wants to refer to a round

object simply for its shape, then he cannot assign cardinal directions to it and treat it like a

map, and cannot , although he can successfully find the

shortest distance between two points on that object by placing a string over it. If he wants a

globe, then he cannot ignore the fact that it is a map, and not a mere ball, and thus cannot

map. Nor can he refuse any other map because of its distortion, for all maps have one

thing in common: latitude and longitude lines.

So, if the grid on the map is irrelevant, then based on what is he determining north and east

on the globe when he pulls his string?

Pole at 90 and an Equator at 0 , then he has to be consistent all the way through, and

accept the latitude and longitude coordinates in between 0 and 90 , and face southeast. If

he wants to ignore all latitude and longitude, then he has confessed that he is not seeking a

direction, and has validated that of which we have accused him: not facing the direction.



MORE ILLUSIONS

Now, if it is clear that all cardinal directions are different, then it is clear that if a line

designated as AC were a perfectly straight line; an unchanging direction bearing north,

then line CA would not bear north, since it is the opposite direction. It must bear south.

To say otherwise is to fall into explicit contradiction, which is invalid.

This is the same fallacy of Nuh Keller. Here are more optical illusions from his book. Try

to follow the reasoning behind them being illusions and the refutation of them. It might be

more difficult for one to understand this case, especially if one is reading on his own and

not hearing the words of a teacher, but we seek the help of Allah in making this as simple

as possible. Below, there are three globe pictures:



A C

A

C

A



How many illusions can you detect?

1. One illusion is that the circles seem three dimensional while they are only pictures

drawn on a flat surface; these are flat maps and not spherical globes.

2. Another illusion is that line AC in the second and third pictures is bearing

north(east), and line CA , the exact opposite, is also bearing north(west) instead of

south(west).

3. Yet a third illusion is that a line that is not curved occurs over a curved surface:

The illusion of a straight line over a curved surface is clear. If the surface is curved, any line

running over it would also be curved. Therefore:

1. They promote yet another illusion, which is that

three dimensional object, because in their reasoning, if you look at the line from

, ,

like a bridge that had you seen it from the side you would see it curving as it

ascends and descends, but had you seen it from above, it looks straight. They

claimed the northeast qiblah is a straight line because they are looking from

, in reality, is not a line or a beam

that is looked at from the side or the top. Nor is any direction something looked at

from the top or side. This is in terms of reality, not imagined conception.

2. For him to draw a solid, black line for northeast, and a curved, dotted line for

southeast is dishonesty. Both lines would be curved in reality, because the surface

of the globe is curved. At this point, many who defend southeast will slip and lose

their footing in the debate, so be attentive: If they ask us, f your line is curved too,

it means you have no straight direction, like us, and no one else has one either.

The answer is that we do not figure out the Qiblah by drawing lines on a globe. We

face it by - meaning the

cardinal directions, not the relative ones-, then we use the religiously recognized

signs for determining the Qiblah to face that said direction.



We are now only talking about lines over the globe to refute their method, not

because we use it. It is important for the one who defends southeast to know how

to handle this question properly. The fact that the earth is curved is not a concern

of ours, because the directions do not curve. Know, however, that many who face

northeast believe that directions do turn and bend around the earth. Agan, this is a

result of comparing imagination to reality. If you are defending the correct

southeastern Qiblah, do not try to prove your point by drawing a line on a map or

referring to the shape of the earth. Just stick to the religious references and

methods.

Note that in his diagram of three globes, the first of the three images shows a solid line

which we will call AB . From left to right, it goes from south to north:

Nuh Keller (underhandedly) only showed one side, the western hemisphere side, to show

the initial line going northeast. For them, this image is sufficient to prove that the Qiblah is

northeast . However, it would not

be to their interest, those who are (dishonestly) supporting the northeastern direction by

using these illusions, to show the opposing view

hemisphere side alone, because then the illusion would disappear, and the change in

direction, along with the fact that there is no straight line, would show up for everyone to

A

B



see, thereby nullifying their point. However, if showing the western hemisphere side alone

is valid, then showing the eastern hemisphere side alone is valid, especially if it is truly an

but they hide it because it reveals only a

southeastern line19:

As seen, if the eastern hemisphere side were shown only, the line would be clearly

southeast.

19 This is like how the Wathe Slave Girl hadith, because it has the wording of their choice, but they avoid the narration of Malik and hide it because it exposes the truth.

B

C



Now take a look at both sides together and see how the illusion of a straight line

disappears:

Figure 8: Note that B represents the same point on both sides of the page

Looking at both sides reveals the obvious curve that alters the direction. Line BC on the

left side is southeast, while line AB on the right side of the page bears northeast (note that

B represents the same point on both sides of the page). Here is another projection of

the curve that they claim is straight:

A

B B

C



A

B

C



So here is a question for those who face northeast: You claim that your line over the globe

is a straight line; one direction. If it is truly one direction, then what prevents you from

considering only half of the line? For example, had the line from New York to Makkah

been ABC , why cannot you look at the line from the halfway mark; to look at it as: BC

only, and forget about the point that starts at New York:

A

B

C



Is this refused and rejected Is it the

name that matters? Is there another agenda to calling this entire line from its beginning to

, when its end is at Makkah, which from us is clearly southeast, such as

to deter people from benefitting from the People of Truth who face southeast as per the

Sunnah? Why would it be necessary to consider the point that starts at New York, which is

Figure 9

A

B

C A B

C

A

B



A , if the line is one unchanging direction? Should we not be able to take from any point of

the unchanging direction? In your claim, since it is an unchanging direction, ABC would

be just as valid as BC , because no actual change took place. If it is truly one unchanging

direction, then it would not matter at what point you start. If you think of a reason why you

must start at A , then there must be a change before reaching C that you are trying to

avoid, as if you know that according to the w ,

and you are hiding that from those who do not know better. If, on the other hand, you say

B , then it would be

valid

you drew.

Figure 10: the arrow, which is approximately half of the line they draw, points northwest, so the direction is southeast

Of course, this will be unacceptable to them, but it is clear from this that their line is not

one straight unchanging direction as they claim. They are merely hiding that change by



the western hemisphere view to convince

you of the northeastern direction, and by showing to claim that the line

is straight:

If someone says that Keller did not put these pictures in his book, instead it is commentary

from someone who did a preface, we say that the book has his name on it in large letters. It

in it, he has to clear himself of it. Otherwise, it is clear that he is the responsible

spokesman.



MAKKAH IS SOUTHEAST OF THE U.S.A. AND CANADA

Their line that starts northeast ends southeast, because ultimately there is no escape from

bearing southeast, because Makkah, in reality, is truly southeast of the United States and

Canada. That is its DIRECTION from the U.S.A. and Canada, not its distance.

1. North America is closer to the North Pole, where it is cold, and Makkah is closer

to the Equator, where it is warm; south of the U.S.A., the direction the birds fly to

escape the cold of winter.

2. Latitude and longitude coordinates confirm that Makkah is south of the U.S.A. If

one claims that the globe is sufficient evidence for the Qiblah, then according to the

globe (and every other map), the Equator is 0 , and the North Pole is 90 north of

the Equator tude coordinates are 21° N, which is south of any

position in the United States or Canada. Key West, Florida, among the most

southern points in the United States, is at 24 N. In simple terms, 24 N of the

equator (Kew West, FL) is further north than 21 N of the Equator (Makkah),

making Makkah closer to the Equator, which is south of us at 0 , and making

North America closer to the North Pole at 90 .

3. South America must face northeast. How is it that the people at the southern extent

of Chile must face northeast, and the people at the northern extent of Canada must

also face northeast? This is a baffling brain teaser that people who face northeast

stubbornly overlook. According to them, the entire western hemisphere must face

northeast, and this is clearly absurd.

Whether Makkah is south of the U.S.A. or not is not actually the question at hand.

Ironically, they agree with us on that point- except for some who are exceptionally ignorant

about geography, and there is no point of continuing the conversation with such people.

Oddly, t we face the direction, or do we face

the shortest route of travel? Those who took by the first option faced southeast, and they

hit the target. As for those who took by the second option, they faced northeast, convinced

their followers that the shortest route is the actual direction, and then fooled themselves



into thinking that a straight line occurred over a curved surface. They missed the target and

invalidated their prayers. To justify this, the aforementioned illusions were presented to

encourage those who turn away from the Ka^bah to stay steadfast on their divergence.

Note: As previously mentioned, and we repeat and reiterate, the starting point should be

Makkah, not the North Pole; another case of deviating from the Sunnah for the talk of the

non-Muslims and ignorant people. One should start from Makkah, and then go out from

there. The northeast supporter instinctively starts from the North Pole. A true unchanging

direction starting at Makkah and ending at New York is northwest. Therefore, the direction

from New York to Makkah is southeast, as the consensus of the scholars that was conveyed

by Abu Hanifah dictates20:

The east is the Qiblah of the people of the west, the west is the Qiblah of the people of

the east, the south is the Qiblah of the people of the north, and the north is the Qiblah of

the people of the south.

If the direction from Makkah to New York is northwest (which both sides agree upon),

then by necessity, northeast would not be the direction from New York to Makkah. On the

other hand, it is not impossible for the route of travel to start northeast, and then for the

return trip to start northwest. Thus is the difference between the route of travel (because of

the terrain or shape of the surface) - and this is NOT what Allah ordered to face in our

prayers- an orders

20 ):



us to face the direction. According to Imam Ash-Shafi^iyy, one must strive to face the exact

entity of the Ka^bah.

To recap: If one were to put a string on a globe from New York to Makkah, it would start

off bearing northeast. This is evidence for the one who supports the northeastern direction.

However, there are several truths to be mentioned:

1. Putting a string on a globe is not a proper way to determine the Qiblah.

2. Eventually, the string would actually curve and change direction, which nullifies

their claim of an unchanging direction and hence the validity of praying northeast.

3. When entertaining their claim that it is a straight line by looking from the top

(northern view), if one were to follow that same line back from Makkah to New

York, it goes northwest. This gives the illusion- according to their claim- that there

could be a straight line to Makkah from New York bearing north (east) that goes

back in the exact opposite direction while still bearing north (west) instead of south

(west). In the physical world, this is actually impossible.

And so, the method they use implies that an impossibility could occur; that AC would be

an unchanging direction bearing north, and that CA is also north in the opposite direction.

Here are their anticipated responses:

1. If they get confused and baffled about to how this occurred, we tell them that it is

because it is a mistake that has to be retracted.

2. If they say that this illusion occurred because the globe is round, and not flat, just as

the earth is not flat, we tell them:

A. The illusion did not occur on the globe. It occurred on flat maps on pages in

once the reader envisions that flat picture as a round globe, he is fooled by lines

drawn on that flat map that is envisioned to be three dimensional. As for an

actual globe, there is no straight line that goes across it. How could that be when



it is not flat? This is why latitude and longitude on a globe can be referred to as

rings (circles).

B. Despite that the earth is not flat, it is impossible to go north and then to go

north in the opposite direction. Therefore, neither the terrain of the surface nor

the shape of earth affects the directions between two points. In other words, it is

true that the earth is not flat, but that fact does not change the fact that Makkah

is south of us, and had the earth been flat, Makkah would still be south of us,

because the shape of the earth does not influence the directions. In other

words, north, south, east and west are not based on shapes or terrains- but

distance can be. Each of the following projections has an assigned north and

south, and hence the shape has absolutely no influence:

The corners and edges resulting from the varying shapes do not change the

directions. And so again, as long as the grid is accurate, the map is correct. For

this reason, Makkah is south of the U.S.A. on every map, no matter its

projection, even a globe. Those who faced northeast were not even reading the

globe and hence were not seeking a direction. They were measuring a sphere



and seeking the shortest distance between points A and B, but Allah only

ordered us to face THE DIRECTION.

If the one who supports the northeastern Qiblah admits that the shape of the Earth does

not affect the direction between two stable points, which is true, then there would be no

benefit in specifically using the globe as evidence. If New York and Makkah do not shift or

relocate, then the shape or terrain of the surface does not affect the direction between

them. the direction of Prayer, as

well as its shape, and that is not what Allah ordered us to rely upon.

To make it clearer, if there were a mountain between one and the Ka^bah, he faces the

mountain, thereby facing the Ka^bah, and he does not face the shortest route of travel,

which would be to go around the mountain (make an arc). In our case, the Atlantic Ocean

is like a great mountain between North America and Makkah. If one were to turn a globe

onto its side, he would be able to put his fingers on New York and Makkah, and the

Atlantic would be in between them, like a massive mountain. To face southeast is to face

the mountain, but to also face the Ka^bah. To face northeast is to turn away from the

Ka^bah, so to go around the mountain; i.e., it is a travel route.

Many would disagree and say that the shape of the earth does influence the directions. In

fact, this is very anticipated from them, because otherwise there would be nothing to prove

northeast as the Qiblah. They want absolutely nothing to do with a flat map, because with it

there is no visual they can use to delude a person. They therefore are in the direst need to

resort to a globe so that they can put a string over it. It should be known that claiming that

the Qiblah is southeast does not contradict ANY map projection, not a flat one, nor a

globe. There is no map that has Makkah north of the U.S.A. So we then ask them, that if

directions change and vary because of terrain or shape of the earth, how can we determine

the reality of the directions and distinguish between them?

Because of not looking into this case properly, they would not say that the way to

determine the directions and distinguish between them is by observing the sunrise, sunset

and other signs. If they did, then they would validate all of our references and make our



argument against northeast stronger. Instead,

they would most likely say that we must establish markers (imaginary lines) to determine

the directions. They markers (lines that are drawn on maps and

imagined to truly exist on the real earth) to determine the directions, and if someone passes

new direction. We have already mentioned that the true signs that the Muslims should use

for determining the directions are the sun, stars, and other actual creations, not imaginary

markers.

And so, if they say that this illusion occurred because of the markers used in determining

the directions, we ask if it is valid for those markers to contradict each other.

1. If they say no, then they have invalidated their own method. They are saying that

this illusion, which is truly an impossibility because of its contradiction, is due to the

markers they use. Yet, they would be saying that it is not valid for the markers to

we validate are invalid (because

2. If they say yes, it is valid for the markers to lead to a contradiction, they validated a

contradiction. However, contradiction is categorically (in all circumstances and in

every field) invalid.

If the markers used are contradictory, they must be abandoned. If they are all consistent,

im is contradictory, that method or claim must be abandoned. If

an unchanging direction changes direction, or that every

direction is the other, or that all the directions are one direction, it must be abandoned.

Among the rules mentioned by the scholars is:

impossible is (itself)



FURTHER NORTHEAST FALLACIES

Whoever reached this point properly understanding all of the arguments has seen that

there is actually no evidence to disprove the Southeastern Qiblah. It is enough to put the

method that calls for facing northeast to shame that it is an attempt to refute and nullify the

Sunnah. There is no evidence that we should reject the North Star, sunrise, sunset, or

shadows. There is also no evidence that the globe should not be read as a map. To seal this

treatise, it would be appropriate to revisit a few points and to list and refute a few more

fallacies.

1. Rejecting logic:

Some people who face northeast are not worth talking to, such as those who think that

directions are not real, and those who think that it is valid for the sun to rise in the south

and set in the south from the opposite horizon. They are the same who believe that it is

valid for one front to be to the south while his back is to the south. Some are not sure

which continents are in the east and which are in the west, and yet accuse others of

ignorance of geography. This is what contradicting the rules of the Religion does to a

person.

2. Refusal of the Sunnah:

They say that the old, esteemed imams did not know of this side of the world, and they did

not know the shape of the earth. This made them abandon the Sunnah, and instead rely on

approximated maps with known (imaginary) markers, such as the Equator and the Prime

Meridian. This is not to say that approximated maps and imaginary markers are not useful,

but they should not be used for determining the Prayer direction. There is no real situation

in which the person who prays would be seeking such a border line to help him find the

Qiblah, because wherever the person is on earth, he seeks the directions of sunrise and

sunset for east and west. He does not use a drawn map and a compass, for instance, or

an

imaginary line and be in the west and no longer in the east, hence my Qiblah is like this,



One should rely on the real

signs: the sun, stars, shadows, mountains, and other signs of Allah and landmarks, such as

villages, as mentioned by the scholars of Fiqh (practical rules). These references give one

the actual directions, and this is what was done by the Prophet � and his Companions.

Therefore, whoever prays southeast because he used the known signs that were used by the

Prophet � and his Companions is in compliance with the hadith:

Consequently, using the method that calls for northeast is especially devastating to a

Wahhabiyy (so-called Salafiyy), because anyone who prays northeast while believing that

every innovation is against the Religion has certainly fallen into what he ran away from: an

innovation. Applicable here is the authentic hadith:

The method that leads to northeast does not comply with the rules of the Religion, and

hence must be rejected.

Among what they say, and it is very closely related to the abovementioned fallacy, is that

rejecting the method that calls for northeast is a call to ignorance, since it is an

abandonment of technology, and Islam calls to knowledge, not ignorance. Foremost,

calling to northeast is an abandonment of the Sunnah, as demonstrated. To that fallacy,

say:

1. Using the Sunnah to determine southeast does not contradict any technology.

2. None of the rules are dependent upon this technology.



If the use of technology leads to what conflicts with the Sunnah of the Religion, then the

technology has no place. The Religious rules practiced by the Prophet � and his

Companions have priority over all technology and calculations. This argument of theirs is

also the argument of those who prefer to calculate the beginning of Ramadan instead of

observing the moon21.

3. Considering the surface (or shape) of the earth:

Among what is said by the northeast supporters is that we must consider the surface of the

earth and face the northe

for two reasons:

1. This thinking is a result of not reading the map.

2. N

traveling entity.

This is further indic

consider the surface of the Earth or a route of travel for facing the Qiblah. However, if we

want to entertain this expr

underground (through the Earth), and the shortest straight line between Makkah and New

York goes through the Earth, not over its surface.

Study the following diagram:

21 So these people who face northeast have perverted the rules related to prayer, those people who calculate

the beginning of the month have perverted the rules pertaining to fasting, in recent years, the place of Sa^y

has been expan Hajj or ^Umrah, and many people are also

falsely being taught that they can give their Zakah to any good cause, and this is invalid also. There are

specific people allowed to receive the Zakah. May Allah save the nation of Muhammad, for they are now in a

grave situation.



NE

SE



There are three arrows. The red arrow is a true unchanging direction with the real

implication of facing northeast: that one turns away from the Ka^bah. The black

arrow is an unchanging direction

surface) and demonstrating the true direction to the Ka^bah: southeast. The giant

curved arrow represents the string placed over the globe, or the route taken by

airplanes. It is an arc, not a (straight) line. It does not give the direction to Makkah,

but it is ideal for travel over the curved surface. Those who face northeast believe

that it is a straight line. They think that this is what represents their prayer direction,

but truly they have only taken the red arrow and invalidated their prayers by turning

away from the Ka^bah, may Allah help them. The intersection made by the dotted

lines represents New York on the other side of the globe.

In other words, had one inserted a rod through his globe at New York and made it

exit from Makkah, that rod which is straight and not curved, would be

southeast/northwest (depending on which way one starts). Our brothers who faced

northeast prevent us from using such a

We say, nor is your prayer some traveling entity that leaves your body and

treks the surface of the earth until reaching Makkah. What is your evidence to

accept this and not that?

Had the surface or terrain been a factor for the prayer direction, the person in an

underground cavern or in a valley would have a Qiblah different from the person

surface, whose Qiblah would be different from the one who prays on

a mountain top, even if the Ka^bah were in the same direction from all of them.

The fact that they all have the same Qiblah proves that the surface has no

consideration:



N.Y.

Mountains between one and the

Ka^bah

Praying atop a mountain

Praying in a valley

Nothing between one

and the Ka^bah

The person on the other side of the Earth also does not consider the surface.



4.

Among what they say, and this may be their strongest fallacy, is that twice a year, the sun is

directly over the Ka^bah. At that time, the sun can be seen from some location in the far

north rising in the northeast, and since it is valid to face the Ka^bah, or the air above it, or

the earth below it, then facing the sun (big mistake) would be facing the air above the

Ka^bah, and thus the Qiblah is northeast. Basically, they made a rule that the sun becomes

iblah on those special days at those special few moments, and that all the

other days and times in the U.S.A. and Canada are based on those. To that there are

several responses:

1. One should not face the sun, one should face the Qiblah by finding the actual

direction of the Ka^bah and facing that direction. From the beginning, one is

making a mistake if he is seeking to face other than the Ka^bah. The sun is not

the Qiblah, and it is not in the direction of the Ka^bah. In other words, even

the one who faces the air above the Ka^bah only faces it because he sought the

Ka^bah itself, but because of being at a higher elevation than that of the

Ka^bah, he faced the air above it. One should not seek the sun above the

Ka^bah. One should seek the Ka^bah itself, then face the air above it if he has

to, or the ground below it22.

2. Even if the sun is seen as they claim, what scholar said that when the sun is

above the Ka^bah, the sun becomes the Qiblah? Do not accept a supposed

reference- the name of a book or some big name thrown out there, only accept

22 This is how one faces his Qiblah in an airplane; he has to figure out the land below him, and then where

the Ka^bah is from there, and in the plane he faces the direction he would face had he been on the ground.

This is because in our Religion, the judgment of the air follows the judgment of the land below it. For this

reason, it is valid to make flights of landings around the Ka^bah for Tawaf and at the place of Sa^y;

performing the worship on the second and third levels is like performing it on the ground level. Therefore, it

is incorrect to face the sun claiming that the sun is above the Ka^bah. This is another misapplication of the

rules.



the exact quote. You do not have to search for it, rather, the burden of evidence

is on the one who makes the claim.

3. Both sides agree that the Ka^bah itself is physically southeast of our position. If

anyone disagrees with that, just produce the latitude coordinates already

documented: Makkah is 21 north of the Equator, and Key West, FL is 24

north of the equator; higher (more northern) than Makkah. This means that the

earth (land) below Ka^bah is southeast in relation to us also. If Makkah were

truly northeast of us, which no one is actually claiming- not even those who face

the northeast- then the earth below the Ka^bah would have to be northeast also.

If the earth below the Ka^bah is southeast, then the air above it would not be

northeast.

4. All the other signs that Allah created prove that Makkah is southeast of us, like

the North Star. The North Star not only gives the direction of north if one were

to face it It also proves how far north

or south one is (in the northern part of the world): In Makkah, one sees the

North Star very close to the horizon. In the United States, one sees the North

Star even higher; further from the horizon. In Canada, one sees it even higher,

until reaching the high north, where one would find the North Star directly

overhead. This means that Makkah is south of the United States and Canada.

Had that method of theirs been definitive proof, it would render the reading

gathered from the North Star invalid and wrong, but two definitive references

cannot contradict each other in one issue. If they do, then one of them is not

definitive (either the North Star or the sun in the northeast for two days out of

the year), or both of them are not. Therefore, if on every night and from every

location in the U.S.A. and Canada, the North Star gives the reading that

Makkah is south of us, because of it being closer to the horizon in Makkah, and

higher in the sky (further from the horizon) in North America, then no

consideration is given to an anomaly that supposedly appears only twice per

year at a certain hour and seen in only a location or two. So, they may ask why

we ignore the sun over the Ka^bah method. We answer them, It contradicts



the North Star. Why are you ignoring the North Star method? They cannot

both be correct if they lead to conflicting results. Remember what the scholars

of Fiqh, like An-Nawawiyy, said23:

nd the strongest of them (the Qiblah references) is the Polaris.

5. Assuming that the sun, which runs across the southern part of the sky in the

northern hemisphere, is visible in the northern sky in the northern hemisphere

on two days, how can they be in North America and certain of the exact

moment the sun reaches its zenith in Makkah? The zenith is an extremely short

time, and they do not even know the exact moment of the sun s zenith in the

neighboring town, let alone in a city across the ocean. If they say that they know

it by way of technology, we tell them that religious rules are not dependant on

technology, so this answer nullifies its validity in and of itself. What does the

person who has no technology do to verify it? If technology is the way, then it is

not a religious method that all of the people are obligated to use, and then their

claim that the scholars of the past used this method would be exposed as a lie.

a. If they agree and say that all of the people are not obligated to use it, then

we tell them that we exercise the right to not use it.

b. If they say that all of the people are obligated to use it, then they must

provide the reference for the Imam who documented this obligation.

c. And if depends on technology,

how would Does that mean that a

person is obligated to have a long distance phone plan and a contact in

Makkah, or else he will be sinful? This is in reference to the person who

23 ): Rawd At-Talibin



could see the sun at such a time. What about the person further south, such

as in New York, or even Florida? They cannot see the sun in the northeast

at that time, so are they obligated two have a three-way, long distance line,

and two contacts, one in Makkah and one in Canada?

d. Or would those people claim that it is enough for all of North America to

base their Qiblah on the word of some people who camp out with a cell

phone and wait for a call from Makkah to tell them that the sun is over the

Ka^bah? In reality, those people are using a method made by non-Sunnis.

If they dare to say yes, then we have already cited Imam An-Nawawiyy24:

If that is missing25, and one were able to make a determination (by using the Qiblah

references)

So if a person is able to use the North Star and other signs to come up with

the proper direction, he should not be made to take the word of those

people.

e. In their claim, the scholars of the past used this method, so how did they

determine enith in Makkah when they were

far from Makkah without the technology?

f. And how do they account for delay in transmission when they do use the

technology? They must then admit the room for error, which makes it a

guess and an approximation. If out of desperation they say that the delay

does not matter, because the moments before and after the zenith of

Makkah are just as reliable on those days as the moment of zenith, then

what is the point in specifying the moment of the zenith, which is what they

24 Minhaj At-Talibin 25 I.e., if one neither sees the Ka^bah, nor is informed about its direction by a trustworthy person who sees it...



usually do? And if a person missed those days, would he be unable in

North America to find his Qiblah? Rather, his only other means would be

to put a string over a globe in their so called . If they say that

the days before and after the days when sun is directly over the Ka^bah are

just as accurate, then what is the point in specifying the days when the sun is

over the Ka^bah directly? What, then, is the encompassing rule that they

are practicing? What is the complete rule in this issue according to them?

Then, if they produce a dabit (precise, encompassing rule), they must

produce its reference. The fact is that they most likely never thought about

these details, and would only resort to these last answers when cornered

into them, .

g. And we ask them why it is that the people in Philadelphia or Atlanta cannot

see this phenomenon. If they say because the world is not flat, then they

have produced their essential reason for refusing the Sunnah in North

America for the Qiblah issue: the curve in the earth. Why would it be valid

for the people who do not see the sun in the northeast to use that method?

Whatever they say, it would itself be proof that we can use the Sunnah in

this Qiblah issue, despite the curve in the earth.

6. So, if the sun over the Ka^bah is valid for the people of Makkah, as the

supporters of northeast claim, and it is valid for us, despite that we are on the

other side of the world, and if the sun being spotted in the northeast is sufficient

for the people who cannot see the sun in the northeast,

a. why are the other rules used by the people of Makkah invalid for us? Why

is the North Star invalid for us despite that we all see it? Why are they

allowed to use the Sunnah for determining the Qiblah and we have to avoid

it?

b. If it is possible for the people who cannot see both the sun and the Ka^bah

to use the sun being over the Ka^bah, and it is possible for the people who

cannot see the sun in the northeast when it supposedly rises over the



Ka^bah to use it, is it possible for the people in Chile or Australia to use the

North Star despite that they cannot see it?

c. If they concede and say that it is permissible for us to use the Sunnah and

face southeast, but they claim that it is permissible for them to use the

innovated method and face northeast, we disagree and tell them that it is

obligatory to use the Sunnah and face southeast, and not permissible for

them to abandon the Sunnah and face northeast. They do not fall under the

categories of people who are allowed to turn away from the Qiblah, as will

come shortly.

d. In their claim, the people would be eagerly waiting all year for that day or

two to verify their Qiblah. This is untrue, especially since the Muslims were

the masters of even the worldly sciences; astronomy, geometry, and all the

other sciences that Muslims in North America are misapplying. When did

such waiting start? During the days in Al-Madinah? Or perhaps it was

during the days of the Followers of the Followers? In fact, they had

absolutely no need to await those days for verifying their Prayer directions.

This claim implies that they were uncertain of their Qiblah until the

moment the sun rises over the Ka^bah, and they would hurriedly verify

their Qiblahs before the sun declines from its zenith. Then, after a while,

they would become doubtful again about their direction, so they would

again await that day to verify their Qiblah, and then again and again every

year, fixing their Qiblahs and adjusting their mihrabs26 by the sun being over

the Ka^bah for a few short moments. This is all untrue.

e. Although the shape of the Earth and its terrain do not influence the

influence his view and perception. It is known that the one who looks at

something from an angle may perceive it in a way that does not comply with

reality. If a person thinks that the curve in the earth renders the Sunnah for

determining the Qiblah invalid, what makes him sure that the very curve in 26 The Mihrab is the hollowed structure in the Masjid that shows the Qiblah.



the earth that hinders us from the Sunnah has not hindered his perception,

like the one who sees something while sideways or upside down? Does he

not believe that he is on an angle due to the curve in the earth?

5. Claiming the position of the majority

Among what they say is that it is an obligation to follow the majority, and the majority of

Muslims in the United States and Canada face the northeast.

A. The obligation of following the majority refers to the majority of the Muslim nation,

not the majority of the Muslims in a particular land, and the majority of Muslims

face their respective directions, not the shortest distance.

B. Had what they understood from this case been true, then whoever goes to Iran

would have to be a Shiite, since they are the majority in that country.

C. Also, had this been a true concern for them, they would have argued that point

before anyone prayed northeast.

D. Additionally, any Wahhabiyy who prays northeast and claims that northeast is the

position of the majority has abandoned his own Wahhabiyy madhhab, because they

believe that the majority of the nation is innovators and mushrik pagans.

6. Claiming the permissibility of facing any direction, or

praying in both directions

After having all of their points pulled from under their feet, many who pray northeast

Well is not true, and had

they believed it, they would not have debated to say that northeast is correct and that

southeast is wrong. As for the verse:



<( )>27,

which some think that it means that the Qiblah is valid in any direction, Imam As-Siyutiyy

said in Al-Itqan28:

that it is not obligatory on the one who prays to face the Qiblah, whether traveling or

residing, which is against the Consensus.

So here it is fitting to remind the brothers who believe that it is valid to face both northeast

and southeast that this is also not the case. The Ka^bah is in one place, and the person

knows that. How would it be valid for the person to face two directions? A person who

does not want to discredit northeast would answer that by saying that some scholars have

allotted room for error, so as long as a person prays within certain degrees, his prayer is

valid, and hence he can pray in either direction. The answer is that they were not referring

to the one who believes the Ka^bah to be in one direction and intentionally turns to

another direction. Fear Allah and learn and apply the fiqh properly. They were referring to

the one who is making his best determination for the Qiblah, and his resulting direction is

within a certain range of the Ka^bah or its direction. What those brothers are doing is a

misapplication of the rule. The permission for turning away from the Qiblah intentionally

is granted to specific types of people:

1. It is granted to the traveler who is riding an animal or walking while praying an

optional prayer, and that has its details.

2. It is also granted during extreme fear, such as the battlefield of hand to hand

combat.

27 Al-Baqarah,115 28 Al-Itqan fi ^Ulumil-



The inhabitants and residents of North America have been in peace and safety. They are

not travelers, and when they are, they are not usually riding animals29 or walking. They are

not in extreme fear. Therefore, both their Obligatory Prayers, as well as their Optional

Prayers, must be prayed facing the Qiblah. Turning away from the Qiblah intentionally

invalidates the Prayer. The person has to make up all the prayers he prayed facing

northeast, even if that were 40 years worth. This is the case for anyone who faced northeast

while relying on these twisted methods and knowing that Makkah is to the south.

If the person truly does not know the direction of the Ka^bah, and that is why he faces

both directions, he will have to make up his prayers when he figures out the Qiblah.

Therefore, this position they took is problematic for them. One must be firm and face the

correct prayer direction, no matter what others think. Some people have abandoned the

path of bidding the good and forbidding the evil so that they can mix with others and not

be alienated- or even so that they may teach them. Some have lost hope and felt that

warning against this issue is fruitless. They turn a blind eye, and some even have found an

excuse for themselves to pray with people who are facing the wrong way. We ask Allah for

steadfastness and guidance, and that He would support the truth and eliminate the

falsehood,

AND ALLAH KNOWS BEST.

29 Vehicles are not compared to animals in this case. The one who learns the Fiqh properly would know that even the person riding in the the people in a ship at sea.

the advisory of those who face the qiblah

Documents

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western hemisphere side

religiously recognized signs

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