Ahead Of Eid Al-Adha, The Sun Passes Just Above The Kaaba, It's Time To Check The Qibla Direction

Masjidil Haram during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Wikimedia Commons/Prof. Mortel)

JAKARTA - There is an interesting natural phenomenon that you need to know ahead of this year's Eid al-Adha worship. The sun will pass just above the Kaaba on July 15 and 16, 2021. This phenomenon in astronomy or the science of Falaq is usually called Istiwa A'zham or Rashdul Qiblah.

This was stated by the Director of Islamic Religious Affairs and Sharia Guidance (Urais Binsyar) Agus Salim as reported by the official website of the Indonesian Ministry of Religion. “This natural event occurred at 16.27 WIB or 17.27 WITA. At that time, the shadows of objects that stand upright, anywhere, will point straight to the Kaaba," explained Agus Salim in Jakarta, Wednesday, July 14.

According to him, this kind of event is known as Istiwa A'zham or Rashdul Qiblah. That is, the time of the sun over the Kaaba where the shadow of the object exposed to the sun points to the direction of Qibla.

Illustration. (Ministry of Religion RI)

This momentum, continued Agus, can be used for Muslims to re-verify their Qibla direction. The trick is to adjust the direction of the Qibla with the direction of the shadows of the object at the time of Rashdul Qiblah.

According to Agus, there are several things that need to be considered in the Qibla direction verification process. First, make sure the object that is the benchmark must really stand upright or use a lot or a pendulum. Second, the base surface must be completely flat and level. And the three hours used for measurement must be adjusted to official institutions such as BMKG, RRI or Telkom.

So for those of you who want to correct the Qibla direction before the implementation of Eid, you can do it the way above, when the sun just passes over the Kaaba.