concept
Qibla
The direction of ṣalāh toward the Kaaba in Mecca, fixed for the community in the Qur’an. An Islamic orientation, not a Hermetic compass rose.
Also known as qiblah
Islam · Arabia
Qibla is associated with Kaaba.
Qibla is the direction of prayer toward the Kaaba. The Qur’an fixes the Sacred Mosque as that orientation for the community.
from M.A.S. Abdel Haleem (translation) · The Qur’an, 2004 (this translation); Arabic text 7th century CE
associated with · sourced · documented
Qibla is associated with Mecca.
To face the qibla is to face toward Mecca’s sanctuary. A geographic direction in a legal-ritual sense.
from M.A.S. Abdel Haleem (translation) · The Qur’an, 2004 (this translation); Arabic text 7th century CE
associated with · sourced · documented
Qibla belongs to Islam.
The Qur’an commands the community to face the Sacred Mosque as qibla in prayer. The prayer direction belongs to Islamic practice, not a generic sacred compass and not the Kaaba’s city-membership alone.
from M.A.S. Abdel Haleem (translation) · The Qur’an, 2004 (this translation); Arabic text 7th century CE
belongs to · sourced · documented
Islam
Qibla is associated with Calendar.
Daily ṣalāh is timed; qibla is a direction, not a month. Both belong to Islamic practice without being the same tool.
from M.A.S. Abdel Haleem (translation) · The Qur’an, 2004 (this translation); Arabic text 7th century CE
associated with · interpretive · culturally specific
Qibla is associated with Four.
Facing one direction organizes space. It is not a four-direction cosmology of another continent.
from M.A.S. Abdel Haleem (translation) · The Qur’an, 2004 (this translation); Arabic text 7th century CE
associated with · interpretive · documented
sources
- The Qur’an · M.A.S. Abdel Haleem (translation)
M.A.S. Abdel Haleem, The Qur’an (Oxford).