Jump to content

Qibla-numa

Add links
Without priority, Quality: c
Without references
From wikishia
A qibla-indicator crafted in Isfahan by a Shi'a artisan named 'Abd al-Imam in the early 17th century. Its usability throughout Safavid Iran and various other regions is regarded as a significant engineering marvel. The rim of the compass bears an Arabic inscription expressing devotion to Imam Ali (a): "All worries and sorrows disappear with your friendship, O 'Ali!"[1]

A Qibla indicator (also named Qibla compass or qiblanuma) is an instrument used to identify the direction of the Qibla. According to the fatwa of the majority of Shi'a jurists, utilizing a qibla-indicator to determine the Qibla is permissible, provided it yields certainty or a strong probability (zann) of accuracy. Some jurists maintain that the probability derived from a qibla-indicator is superior to other methods of ascertainment. These devices typically function by first establishing the cardinal directions and then calculating the angular difference between a specific cardinal point and the direction of Mecca. Most qibla-indicators employ a magnetic compass to determine these cardinal directions.

In 1952, Husayn-'Ali Razmara (d. 1986), a cartographer, introduced an improved qibla-indicator that significantly enhanced the accuracy of Qibla detection; this device was subsequently endorsed by the Shi'a Marja' Sayyid Husayn Tabataba'i Burujirdi. The precision of Qibla determination has since been further refined by online compasses, the Global Positioning System (GPS), and the application of the Robbins azimuth formula.

Conceptology

The term qibla-numa refers to a device equipped with a metal needle[2] utilized to locate the direction of Mecca[3] and the Qibla.[4] The lexicographer Dihkhuda (d. 1956) recorded three pronunciations for this term: qibla-nama, qibla-numa, and qibla-nima.[5]

The qibla-indicator is categorized as one of the modern issues addressed within the jurisprudential chapters on salat and istifta'at.[6] In Arabic legal texts, the instrument is referred to as bawsalat al-Qibla.[7]

History

A glazed qibla-indicator bowl, dating to between 922/1516 and 926/1520, currently housed in the Damascus Museum.[8]

Although the exact date of the first qibla-indicator's invention remains unknown, a 9th/15th-century clay bowl housed in the Damascus Museum is known to have served as a tool for determining the Qibla.[9][10] The historian Rasul Ja'fariyan notes that qibla-indicators were in common use in Iran during the 12th/18th century, coinciding with the Safavid era.[11]

Prior to the invention of the compass (reportedly in the 8th/14th century),[12] Muslims relied on the "Indian Circle"[13] to determine cardinal directions. They calculated the deviation between the South and Mecca to ascertain the Qibla.[14] Following the advent of the compass, Muslims adopted it in place of the Indian Circle to locate the South.[15] City names were inscribed on the compass face according to their respective degrees of deviation; when the needle pointed South, the Qibla direction for the desired city could be identified.[16]

It was later discovered that the magnetic north indicated by a compass needle deviates from the true geographical poles (a phenomenon known as magnetic declination), resulting in inaccuracies in Qibla determinations based solely on magnetic compasses.[17] In 1952, the Iranian cartographer Husayn-'Ali Razmara introduced a qibla-indicator that accounted for magnetic declination across one thousand locations.[18]

Digital compasses also utilize the Earth's magnetic field but employ software to correct for magnetic declination, thereby enhancing tracking accuracy.[19] Online compasses determine latitude and longitude via the Global Positioning System (GPS) and calculate the Qibla direction using algorithmic processing.[20] GPS is widely regarded as one of the most effective methods for navigation.[21] Additionally, an initiative by the Iranian Ministry of Defense has adopted the Robbins azimuth formula for Qibla determination; this method, which replaces magnetic declination calculations, is reportedly faster and more precise.[22]

Rulings of the Qibla-numa

An Iranian "Giti-numa" qibla-indicator held at the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford.[23]

According to the fatwa of Shi'a Maraji' such as Sayyid Abu l-Qasim al-Khu'i[24] and Sayyid Muhammad Sa'id al-Hakim (b. 1354/1935-36),[25] acting upon the findings of a qibla-indicator is permissible if one is certain of the calculation's accuracy. Furthermore, Mirza Jawad Tabrizi issued a fatwa stating that if a qibla-indicator provides a strong probability of the Qibla's direction, it is permissible to rely upon it.[26]

In the view of Imam Khomeini and Sayyid Ali Husayni Khamenei, relying on the mihrab of a mosque or Muslim graves to determine the Qibla is problematic so long as a qibla-indicator capable of providing certainty is available.[27] Nasir Makarim Shirazi holds that the probability derived from a functioning qibla-indicator is more accurate than other methods.[28] Similarly, Muhammad Fadil Lankarani considered the probability obtained from a qibla-indicator to be stronger than the testimony of a homeowner; consequently, his fatwa dictates that one should not suffice with a homeowner's word if a qibla-indicator is accessible.[29]

The Razmara Qibla-numa

The Razmara qibla-indicator (1952), designed to account for the deviation between magnetic and geographical poles.

Husayn-'Ali Razmara, a cartographer and head of the Geographical Department of the Pahlavi Army in Iran, introduced a device in 1952 that became known as the Razmara qibla-indicator.[30] In this instrument, he calculated the deviation of the magnetic pole from the geographical pole for approximately one thousand locations.[31] 'Allama Tabataba'i, a renowned Shi'a commentator and philosopher, regarded this indicator as providing a near-accurate detection of the Qibla.[32] The Razmara qibla-indicator reportedly received endorsement from Sayyid Husayn Tabataba'i Burujirdi[33] and Sayyid Hibat al-Din al-Shahristani, a Shi'a jurist and astronomer.[34]

According to the Shi'a philosopher and astronomer Hasan Hasanzada Amuli, while the Razmara qibla-indicator correctly accounted for the deviation between magnetic and geographical poles, the fact that magnetic declination fluctuates annually—and even daily—necessitates the periodic updating of such devices every few years.[35]

See Also

Notes

  1. ↑ "An unusual qibla-indicator by the master craftsman of late 17th-century Isfahan, Abd al-A’imma".
  2. ↑ Dihkhudā, Lughatnāma-yi Dihkhudā, under the word "qibla-numa".
  3. ↑ Nāẓim al-Aṭibbā', Farhang-i Nafīsī, under the word "qibla-numa".
  4. ↑ Dihkhudā, Lughatnāma-yi Dehkhodā, under the word "qibla-numa".
  5. ↑ Dihkhudā, Lughatnāma-yi Dihkhudā, under the word "qibla-numa".
  6. ↑ Mu'assasa-yi Dā'irat al-Ma'ārif-i Fiqh-i Islāmī, Farhang-i Fiqh, p. 448.
  7. ↑ Khāmene'ī, Ajwibat al-istiftā'āt, vol. 1, p. 112.
  8. ↑ Zamānī, "Kāsa-yi lu'āb-dār-i qibla-numā", pp. 53-54.
  9. ↑ Zamānī, "Kāsa-yi lu'āb-dār-i qibla-numā", pp. 53-54.
  10. ↑ To identify the direction of the Qibla, the vessel must be filled with water and a magnetic needle floated on it to identify the cardinal directions and determine the Qibla. The inner surface of this indicator is divided into 40 sections, each representing a city. Most cities are religious sites of the Shi'a, such as Kufa, Najaf, and Mashhad.
  11. ↑ Ja'fariyān, "Su'āl az ḥukm-i istifāda az qibla-numā-yi dast-sākht dar dawra-yi Ṣafavī".
  12. ↑ Ḥasanzāda Āmulī, "Quṭb-numā wa qibla-numā...", p. 88.
  13. ↑ The Indian Circle is a circle with technical and scientific lines placed on a flat, level surface. A conical gnomon is installed at its center. This tool is used to identify the four cardinal directions. (Jawādī Najafī, "Dā'ira-yi Hindī wa kārburd-i ān", p. 87.)
  14. ↑ Ṭabāṭabā'ī, al-Mīzān, vol. 1, p. 335; See also: Jawādī Najafī, "Dā'ira-yi Hindī wa kārburd-i ān", p. 85.
  15. ↑ Ṭabāṭabā'ī, al-Mīzān, vol. 1, p. 335.
  16. ↑ Zamānī, "Kāsa-yi lu'āb-dār-i qibla-numā", pp. 53-54.
  17. ↑ Ḥasanzāda Āmulī, "Quṭb-numā wa qibla-numā...", p. 88; Ṭabāṭabā'ī, al-Mīzān, vol. 1, p. 335.
  18. ↑ Ḥasanzāda Āmulī, "Quṭb-numā wa qibla-numā...", p. 95; Ṭabāṭabā'ī, al-Mīzān, vol. 1, pp. 337-338.
  19. ↑ Gulistān-far, "Quṭb-numā-yi dījītālī", p. 49.
  20. ↑ "Ta'yīn-i jihat-i Qibla".
  21. ↑ Gulistān-far, "Quṭb-numā-yi dījītālī", p. 45.
  22. ↑ "Ta'yīn-i daqīq-i Qibla dar Sāzmān-i Jughrāfiyā'ī-yi Wizārat-i Difā' anjām shud".
  23. ↑ Mūsawī, "Jām-i Gītī-numā: yak qibla-numā-yi muta'akhkhir-i īrānī", p. 35.
  24. ↑ al-Khu'ī, Ṣirāṭ al-najāt fī ajwibat al-istiftā'āt, vol. 1, p. 88.
  25. ↑ al-Ḥakīm, Murshid al-mughtarib, p. 190.
  26. ↑ al-Khu'ī, Ṣirāṭ al-najāt fī ajwibat al-istiftā'āt, vol. 1, p. 88.
  27. ↑ Imām Khomeinī, Tawḍīḥ al-masā'il (Imām wa Marāji'), vol. 1, p. 441; Khāmene'ī, Ajwibat al-istiftā'āt, vol. 1, p. 112.
  28. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Risāla-yi tawḍīḥ al-masā'il, p. 133; See also Makārim Shīrāzī, al-'Urwat al-wuthqā ma'a ta'līqāt, vol. 1, p. 442.
  29. ↑ Lankarānī, Jāmi' al-masā'il, p. 70.
  30. ↑ Ḥasanzāda Āmulī, "Quṭb-numā wa qibla-numā...", p. 95.
  31. ↑ Ḥasanzāda Āmulī, "Quṭb-numā wa qibla-numā...", p. 95; Ṭabāṭabā'ī, al-Mīzān, vol. 1, pp. 337-338.
  32. ↑ Ṭabāṭabā'ī, al-Mīzān, vol. 1, pp. 337-338.
  33. ↑ Mūsawī Tabrīzī, Khāṭirāt-i Āyatullāh Sayyid Ḥusayn Mūsawī Tabrīzī, p. 40.
  34. ↑ "Nāma-yi Sayyid Hibat al-Dīn Shahristānī bi Sartīp Razmārā".
  35. ↑ Ḥasanzāda Āmulī, "Quṭb-numā wa qibla-numā...", p. 95.

References

  • Nāma-yi Sayyid Hibat al-Dīn Shahristānī bi Sartīp Razmārā bābat-i sākhtan-i qibla-numā. Telegram channel of the History of Islam and Iran Library. January 23, 2020.
  • Ta'yīn-i daqīq-i Qibla dar Sāzmān-i Jughrāfiyā'ī-yi Wizārat-i Difā' anjām shud". IQNA. December 18, 2007.
  • Ta'yīn-i jihat-i Qibla. TodayTime website.
  • Gulistān-far, Mōnā. "Quṭb-numā-yi dījītālī". In Fourth Iranian Student Conference on Electrical Engineering. Tehran, 1380 SH.
  • Ḥakīm, Sayyid Muḥammad Sa'īd. Murshid al-mughtarib. Qom: Dār al-Hilāl, 1431 AH.
  • Ḥasanzāda Āmulī, Ḥasan. "Quṭb-numā wa qibla-numā dar farq-i quṭb-i jughrāfiyā'ī wa quṭb-i maghnāṭīsī-yi zamīn...". In Mīrāth-i Jāwīdān. Qom: Awqaf and Charity Affairs Organization, no. 2, Summer 1372 SH.
  • Imām Khumaynī, Sayyid Rūḥ Allāh et al. Tawḍīḥ al-masā'il (Imām wa Marāji'). Edited by Iḥsān Uṣūlī. Qom: Islamic Publications Office, 1381 SH.
  • Ja'fariyān, Rasūl. Su'āl az ḥukm-i istifāda az qibla-numā-yi dast-sākht dar dawra-yi Ṣafavī. Khabar Online. October 21, 2016.
  • Jawādī Najafī, Sayyid Muḥammad Akbar. "Dā'ira-yi Hindī wa kārburd-i ān". In Mishkāt. Mashhad: Islamic Research Foundation, no. 15, Summer 1366 SH.
  • Khāmene'ī, Sayyid 'Alī. Ajwibat al-istiftā'āt. Kuwait: Dār al-Naba', 1419 AH.
  • Khu'ī, Sayyid Abu l-Qāsim. Ṣirāṭ al-najāt fī ajwibat al-istiftā'āt. Annotations by Mīrzā Jawād Tabrīzī. Qom: Barguzideh, 1374 SH.
  • Lankarānī, Muḥammad Fāḍil. Jāmi' al-masā'il. Qom: Nashr-i Amīn, 1425 AH.
  • Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir. al-'Urwat al-wuthqā ma'a ta'līqāt. Qom: Madrasat al-Imām 'Alī b. Abī Ṭālib (a), 1428 AH.
  • Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir. Risāla-yi tawḍīḥ al-masā'il. Qom: Madrasat al-Imām 'Alī b. Abī Ṭālib (a), 1424 AH.
  • Mūsawī Tabrīzī, Ḥusayn. Khāṭirāt-i Āyatullāh Sayyid Ḥusayn Mūsawī Tabrīzī (Daftar-i awwal). Tehran: Institute for Compilation and Publication of Imam Khomeini's Works, 1387 SH.
  • Mūsawī, Rāḍiya. "Jām-i Gītī-numā: yak qibla-numā-yi muta'akhkhir-i īrānī". In Tārīkh-i 'Ilm. Tehran: Institute for the History of Science, vol. 12, no. 1, Spring and Summer 1393 SH.
  • Mu'assasa-yi Dā'irat al-Ma'ārif-i Fiqh-i Islāmī. Farhang-i fiqh muṭābiq-i madhhab-i Ahl-i Bayt (a). Under the supervision of: Sayyid Maḥmūd Hāshimī Shāhrūdī. Qom: 1382 SH.
  • Nāẓim al-Aṭibbā', 'Alī Akbar. Farhang-i Nafīsī. Offset by Marwi, 1355 SH.
  • Ṭabāṭabā'ī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn. al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qur'ān. Beirut: Mu'assasat al-A'lamī li-l-Maṭbū'āt, 1390 AH.
  • Zamānī, Maryam. "Kāsa-yi lu'āb-dār-i qibla-numā". In Mīrāth-i 'Ilmī-yi Islām wa Irān. Tehran: Written Heritage Research Center, no. 4, Autumn and Winter 1392 SH.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikishia.net/w/index.php?title=Qibla-numa&oldid=206429"