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Q1. Is Qiblah Direction toward the
Geographical North or Magnetic North?
Ans. It is to Geographical north, whereas the compass gives magnetic north,
the magnetic north varies from city to city and varies with time as well, and
therefore magnetic north can not be used to fix Qiblah directions for Mosques.
Q2. What is the difference between Geographical North and Magnetic North?
Ans. True North Pole is marked on the Globe as a top hinge of the stand.
Magnetic North is the direction where a magnetic needle would point if it is
pivoted freely, because it aligns with magnetic field inside the earth.
Earth’s rotation and iron core creates a magnetic field much like giant
magnet. However the ends or poles of the magnet do not match the Earth’s
geographic poles. To make things worse, the magnetic pole tends to wander or
drift, so its location can change over time. Fortunately the drift is minor,
and not significant for wilderness navigation.
Q3. What is correct Qiblah direction from North America, North-East or
South-East?
Ans. One group of people favours the direction of South-East, and another
group favours North-East. Now the question is whether South-East is correct or
North-East is correct. Those who favour South-East are misleading by looking
at the flat map with an argument that Makkah is south and East of North
America. The fallacy is that the earth is not a flat plane; it is more like a
sphere floating in space of three dimensions. North Pole is a point from where
every direction is south; there is no East or West from there. If you take a
globe and stretch a thread from Alaska to Makkah, you will see that the thread
passes through or close by North Pole. So, the Qiblah from Alaska will be
towards North. For more detail check out:
http://moonsighting.com/qibla.html
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