QiblaGlobe

Download qglobe1.0 for Windows 95/NT now !

Unpack the ZIP file with a tool like PKUNZIP. The following files are included in this distribution:

qglobe.exe
qglobe.dat
readme.txt
opengl32.dll
glut32.dll

HOW TO USE THIS SOFTWARE?

Start QiblaGlobe from a DOS box by entering

qglobe

and hitting return on the command line. You may start it also from Explorer. Depending on the speed of your PC, the loading may take some time. If you have a slow computer, you may try to reduce the slices for representing a sphere by using less than the default 40 slices:

qglobe 20

In this case the globe will look rougher but will work faster. The maximum possible number of slices is 100.

After the program has loaded you will see a globe in the window. Meridian lines are shown in grey. There are no cities included yet, so look on an atlas to determine your location. You can navigate using the cursor keys. You can also klick the left mouse button on the globe and drag the cursor to another position while holding the left button to turn the globe. To zoom in hit +, to zoom out -. The window can be resized by dragging the border with the mouse.

The q key will toggle the direction lines to Mecca on or off. This lines show the shortest path to Mecca. You will want to turn to this direction during prayer. All you need is to know the compass heading that will turn you to the correct direction to face Qaba (in Mecca).

To find the magnetic heading, hit q again (just to declutter the image) and type m. After the globe cleares new curves will appear showing magnetic direction data. The red lines connect location points that face Qaba with the same magnetic heading. There is a red line every 5 degrees. Shaded areas enable you to increase precision to 2.5 degrees. The values already include magnetic variance (but no local magnetic  perturbations) so use them directly on the compas. Please note that the red lines are NOT the direction to Qaba but a line connecting locations with the same magnetic heading to Qaba! The magnetic heading you read on the red lines will turn you to Qaba on the shortest path (this should be the direction you see for your location when pressing q). Light blue lines depict magnetic longitudes.
If you like, you can switch on q and m simultaneously.

Example: Assume you live in Los Angeles. You are located aqpproximately on the red line for 20 deg maybe a little to the left. So use your compass and turn to 20 deg (North-North-East) for your prayer.

A special location lies in the Pacific Ocean from where any direction is the shortest path to Qaba.

MAGNETIC DIRECTION

This section is only necessary if you are not aquainted with a compas. First put your compas on a level surface well away from metalic components which may cause errors the shown heading. Turn the compas in such a way that the north-hand-needle is alligned with "N" (or 360). Now read the magnetic direction for your location from the globe. Magnetic direction info is presented in degrees from 0 to 360. 0 is north and is labeled "N". Similarly, 90 is labeled "E" for east, 180 "S" for south and 270 "W" for west. Read the direction for the closest line on the globe and turn yourself to this direction. You do this by drawing an imaginary line from the compas needle center to the magnetic heading you just read from the globe. This line points to your Qibla direction.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank brother Kamal Abdali (k.abdali@acm.org) for his helpful paper "The Correct Qibla".
Dr. Mohibullah N.Durrani, provided valuable information in "DIRECTION FOR KABAH (Mathematical) - FROM ANYWHERE"

LICENCE

This software is freeware, you are free to pass it to others, but please don't distribute it on the internet (don't offer downloads from your web page). You may prowide a link to my web site if you wish. The source code will not be made available.

Selamualeykum ve Rahmetullahi ve Berekatuh

Tahir Saban
August 2000, Baden - Austria
tahir.saban@mycity.at