--- title: "What Is the Qiblah? | Islam Is Mercy" description: "The qiblah is the direction Muslims face in prayer — towards the Kaaba in Makkah. It unites Muslims worldwide; they worship God, not the building." lang: en url: https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/qiblah/ --- 1. [Home](https://islamismercy.com/en/) 2. [Glossary](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/) 3. What Is the Qiblah? # What Is the Qiblah? Written by **Islam Is Mercy Editorial Team**· 1 min readAwaiting scholar review ## The short answer The qiblah is the direction Muslims face when they pray: towards the Kaaba in Makkah. Wherever they are in the world, Muslims turn towards the same point, which unites them in worship. They face the Kaaba, but they worship God alone, not the building. ## On this page 1. Meaning 2. How Muslims use it 3. Example **Qiblah** (Arabic: قبلة; also spelled *qibla*) is pronounced *QIB-lah*. ## Meaning The word comes from a root meaning *to face*. The qiblah is the direction Muslims turn to in prayer: towards the Kaaba, the ancient house of worship in Makkah that Muslims believe Abraham and Ishmael built for the worship of the One God. For about sixteen or seventeen months after moving to Madinah, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the early Muslims prayed facing Jerusalem — a direction honoured by Jews and Christians as well. Then the qiblah was changed: > قَدْ نَرَىٰ تَقَلُّبَ وَجْهِكَ فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ ۖ فَلَنُوَلِّيَنَّكَ قِبْلَةًۭ تَرْضَىٰهَا ۚ فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ ۚ وَحَيْثُ مَا كُنتُمْ فَوَلُّوا۟ وُجُوهَكُمْ شَطْرَهُۥ ۗ وَإِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ لَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ ٱلْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ ۗ وَمَا ٱللَّهُ بِغَٰفِلٍ عَمَّا يَعْمَلُونَ ﴿١٤٤﴾ > We have certainly seen the turning of your face, \[O Muhammad\], toward the heaven, and We will surely turn you to a qiblah with which you will be pleased. So turn your face toward al-Masjid al-Haram. And wherever you \[believers\] are, turn your faces toward it \[in prayer\]. Indeed, those who have been given the Scripture well know that it is the truth from their Lord. And Allah is not unaware of what they do. [Qur'an, Al-Baqara 2:144](https://quran.com/2?startingVerse=144&translations=20)Saheeh International ## How Muslims use it Wherever they are, Muslims work out the direction of Makkah before praying. Mosques have a niche called the *mihrab* showing the qiblah, hotels in Muslim countries often mark it on the ceiling, and today many people use a phone compass. If someone genuinely cannot tell, they do their best, and their prayer is accepted. Muslims do not worship the Kaaba. The Qur’an reminds that the east and the west both belong to God (Qur’an 2:142). Facing one direction is a sign of unity and obedience: millions of people, in every land, turning together towards one point in worship of the One God. ## Example *“Before she spread her prayer mat in the park, she checked the qiblah on her phone.”* Learn more in [How Do Muslims Pray?](https://islamismercy.com/en/become-muslim/how-to-pray/) and [Do Muslims Worship the Kaaba?](https://islamismercy.com/en/questions/do-muslims-worship-the-kaaba/) ## Key takeaways - The qiblah is the direction of prayer, towards the Kaaba in Makkah. - Early Muslims first prayed towards Jerusalem before the qiblah was changed. - Facing the Kaaba unites Muslims; it is not worship of the Kaaba. ## Share this article [WhatsApp](https://wa.me/?text=What%20Is%20the%20Qiblah%3F%20https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fglossary%2Fqiblah%2F)[Telegram](https://t.me/share/url?url=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fglossary%2Fqiblah%2F&text=What%20Is%20the%20Qiblah%3F)[X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=What%20Is%20the%20Qiblah%3F&url=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fglossary%2Fqiblah%2F)[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fglossary%2Fqiblah%2F) ## Sources - [Qur'an, Al-Baqara 2:144](https://quran.com/2?startingVerse=144&translations=20) ## Talk to a Muslim Have a question that isn't answered here? Ask a real person — no pressure, no judgement. [Ask your question](https://islamismercy.com/en/talk/) ## Keep reading [Becoming Muslim ### How to Pray: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners A simple, step-by-step guide to the Muslim prayer (salah) for beginners — from ablution to the final greeting — sticking to what Muslims agree on. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/become-muslim/how-to-pray/)[Hard Questions ### Do Muslims Worship the Kaaba? Why Muslims face the Kaaba in Mecca when they pray, what the Kaaba is, and why kissing the Black Stone is not worship of a stone. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/questions/do-muslims-worship-the-kaaba/)[Glossary ### Salah — The Muslim Prayer Salah is the ritual prayer Muslims perform five times a day, facing Makkah. It is the second of the Five Pillars of Islam. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/salah/)