National Movement of Verifying the Direction of the Qibla Followed in 725 Thousand Locations

The Ka'bah in the Grand Mosque of Makkah Al Mukarromah is the qibla for all Muslims. (Antara Photo)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Religion reported a national movement to verify the direction of the qiblat along with the phenomenon of Rashdul Qiblat on July 15 and 16, 2026, followed by 725,669 locations in various regions.

"We have recorded 725,669 location points that have been registered to participate in the 2026 National Movement," said Director of Islamic Religious Affairs and Bina Syariah Arsad Hidayat in Jakarta, Friday.

Arsad said the distribution of the verification location points for the direction of the qiblat consists of 67,867 mosques, 576,309 houses, 49,680 mushalla, 233 restaurants, 114 hotels, and 31,466 other locations.

The phenomenon of the sun directly above the Kaaba is an astronomical event that occurs twice every year. At that time, the sun's rays are right at the Kaaba's zenith point.

Thus, the shadow of an object standing perpendicular to the earth's surface can be used as a reference to determine the direction of the qiblat with a high level of accuracy. This scientific method is to verify the direction of the qiblat.

This year, the phenomenon can be observed on July 15 and 16, 2026, at 16.27 WIB and 17.27 WITA. The public just needs to prepare a stick or object that is installed perpendicularly in an open space, then observe the direction of the shadow formed.

The line drawn from the tip of the shadow to the base of the stick indicates the direction of the Kaaba and can be used as a reference to check the accuracy of the direction of the Qibla.

"Alhamdulillah, this National Movement for the Kiblat has been enthusiastically welcomed with the participation of hundreds of thousands of applicants who want to practice this method directly," he said.

The National Indonesian Kiblat Movement 2026, not only aims to verify the direction of the qiblat, but also increase public literacy regarding astronomy as one of the important instruments in religious services.

The movement is also expected to be a momentum for public education about the importance of astronomy, as well as strengthening the accuracy of the direction of the qibla in various places of worship and public facilities.