Al-Asfoor: Sun overhead Kaaba, guiding Qibla direction worldwide

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

Get ready for a celestial show over Mecca today. At precisely 12:27pm local time, the sun will be directly overhead the Holy Kaaba, casting no shadows and offering an extraordinary spectacle.

This rare event, calculated by astronomy researcher Mohammed Al-Asfoor, is significant for Muslims worldwide.

At this moment, the sun will reach its zenith, resulting in the complete disappearance of shadows from the Kaaba and all surrounding objects in Mecca.

This alignment provides a perfect chance for Muslims to accurately determine the Qibla, the direction they face during prayer.

Al-Asfoor explains that placing a vertical stick on flat ground at the time of the alignment will help.

Direction

The direction opposite the stick’s shadow will precisely point to the Qibla.

This method has been used for centuries to ensure accurate Qibla determination from any location where the sun is visible.

This event happens twice a year as the sun moves between the Tropic of Cancer and the equator.

First occurrence

The first occurrence was in late May, and this upcoming event on 15th July is the final one for the year. Al-Asfoor attributes this phenomenon to the Earth’s axial tilt of 23.5 degrees.

Places between latitudes of less than 23.5 degrees north and south experience this alignment of the sun and Kaaba twice a year, with the timing varying based on the specific latitude.