Qiblah القبلة

Historical Precis on the Subject

July 16th, 2005

The Muslims came to North America at the beginning of the previous hairy century both as individuals and in groups. Their numbers kept on increasing until they became sizable lobbies in the USA and Canada. It was only natural for them to endeavor to establish mosques and musallayat to gather in for performing congregational prayer, listening to the good, and remembering Allah. Based on the fatawa of the scholars of the Muslim countries, all of the maharib of these mosques and musallayat were facing southeast without exception. Some twenty years ago, and specifically between 1973 and 1974, Kamal al-Abdali published a book in which he mentioned that the direction of al-Qiblah in the USA and Canada is northeast. In North America, those who negate
at-tawassul along with members of the party know as al-‘lkhwan al-Muslimin were impressed with this book and adopted it, as is their usual habit with deviant matters. Par to course, they spread and promoted that book with all that it contains which fragments the unity, divides the word of the Muslims, and perverts the Religion. They did all this under the name of al-‘Islam. Some of us, in person, spoke with Kamal al-Abdali , the author of the book, and asked him about the religious evidences he relied on in producing his book. His answer was: “I did not study religious studies. However, I have relied on the spherical triangular calculations.” Verily, we belong to Allah and to Him we shall return.

Sadly, the matter of determining the direction of al-Qiblah has become now-a-days a play thing between the hand of he who leisure time. Even so, he still finds people backing him up and assisting him.

Despite the widespread promotion of this deviant endeavor, many mosques and musallayat still maintain the correct southeast direction of al-Qiblah. Moreover, the older Muslims cemeteries, in which Muslims were buried prior to 1937, such as the old Sacramento Cemetery in California and the Truro Cemetery in Nova Scotia Province, Canada, stand as an evidence that Muslims used to face southeast for their Qiblah. Verily, no one gives the strength for one to obedient except Allah.

Entry Filed under: Historical Precis on the Subject