Qibla direction
from where you stand.
Tap the button to find your qibla.
Your qibla direction
Tap and Saeed calculates it from your location. The maths runs on your device, so it works offline after that.
The qibla is a calculation, not an internet search
Many people assume a qibla app asks a distant server for the direction. It does not: the qibla is an equation. Once your device knows the latitude and longitude you are standing on, it works out the direction to the Kaaba in a fraction of a second, on the device itself.
That is why the tool above works at a rest house, on the road and anywhere without coverage, as long as your location is known.
Why it is not simply south or west
If the Earth were flat, the direction to Makkah from Riyadh would be west and that would be the end of it. But the Earth is a sphere, and the shortest route between two points on it is not a straight line on a flat map.
That is why some results look odd yet are correct: from Riyadh the qibla points west, leaning south; from Cairo, southeast; from Jakarta, west, leaning north; and from New York, northeast, not east or southeast as most people expect.
The limits of a phone compass, which most apps do not tell you
The calculation is precise. The compass is the weak link, not the maths. Three things throw it off:
- Metal and magnets: a magnetic phone case alone can push the needle off by tens of degrees. Keep your phone away from metal and from the charger.
- It needs calibrating: move your phone through the air in a figure eight two or three times, and the sensor resets itself.
- The two norths: a compass points to magnetic north, while the calculation starts from true north. In Saudi Arabia the gap is two to four degrees, which does no practical harm, but in some parts of the world it reaches twenty degrees.
That is why the tool above writes out the bearing in degrees next to the arrow: if your phone has no compass sensor, or you do not trust the arrow, you can use that number with any other compass.
Does being slightly off invalidate the prayer?
If you made an effort to find it, your prayer is valid. For someone far from the Kaaba, what is required is its direction, not its exact position, and the error a calibrated compass might give is far smaller than that margin.
So do not let chasing the exact degree distract you from the prayer itself. The tool gives you what you need and more.
Check it with the sun if you like
On two days every year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba (around late May and mid July). Face the sun at that moment and you are facing the qibla exactly, from anywhere the sun can be seen. It is an old method that needs no device, and it works as a check once a year.
Knowing the qibla is one thing, catching the prayer is another
The tool above solves half the problem. The other half is knowing when to pray, not only where to face.
In the Saeed app, prayer times and qibla direction sit in one place, the qibla is saved from your location so you do not have to find it again each time, and the alarm rings with the adhan, not after it. Alongside them is the full text of the morning and evening adhkar.
Times for the five daily prayers
Questions about the qibla direction
How do I find the qibla without internet?
The qibla is a calculation, not a search. Your device only needs to know where you are, then it works out the direction to the Kaaba on the device itself, with no connection at all. The tool above does exactly that, and after the first time it works even where there is no network.
Why does my phone's compass keep wobbling?
Because it reads the magnetic field around it, so metal, speakers, chargers and magnetic phone cases all throw it off. Move your phone through the air in a figure eight, away from metal, and it settles.
What is the difference between magnetic north and true north?
A compass points to the magnetic pole, while the qibla calculation starts from true north. In Saudi Arabia the two are two to four degrees apart, which makes no practical difference. In some parts of the world the gap reaches twenty degrees, so it is worth keeping in mind there.
Is my prayer valid if I am slightly off?
If you made an effort to find the qibla, your prayer is valid even if you were slightly off. For someone far from the Kaaba, what is required is its direction, not its exact position, and the error in the tool above is far smaller than that margin.
How can I check without a phone at all?
With the sun. On two days a year the sun stands directly over the Kaaba (around late May and mid July), so if you face the sun at that moment you are facing the qibla. On any other day, the bearing the tool gives you works with any compass, even the simplest one.
Keep every prayer on time.
Your times update themselves and the alarm rings with the adhan. Completely free.
Open Saeed free