Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah State Fatwa Council is calling on all premises owners – particularly government agencies and organisations – to submit official applications to determine and verify the
Qiblat direction through a certified technical team.
Qiblat is an Arabic term that refers to the direction that Muslims face when performing their prayers (salat). It points toward the
Kaabah, the sacred structure located in the Masjid al-Haram, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
For Muslims around the world, knowing the correct
Qiblat direction is essential for daily worship.
Sabah State Government Mufti Datuk Bungsu Aziz Jaafar, said this step is crucial to ensure that each building has an accurate
Qiblat direction for the convenience of Muslims performing their prayers properly.
“The effort to determine the
Qiblat direction for all government premises in Sabah is underway and is expected to be completed this year.
“Alhamdulillah, implementation has already started, and we are working to ensure that all government premises have an officially verified and accurate
Qibla direction.
“However, this process will take some time due to the large number of government buildings,” he said after a courtesy visit to the Head of State of Sabah, Tun Musa Aman, at Istana Seri Kinabalu on Thursday.
Bungsu said the application to determine the
Qiblat direction must be submitted by the management of each premises, and his office is ready to assist through the expertise of their experienced technical team.
“Our team will ensure that the
Qiblat direction is determined with high accuracy,” he said.
Bungsu also advised the public not to rely too heavily on mobile applications to determine the
Qiblat, as their accuracy can be affected by environmental interference.
“Most
Qiblat direction apps are susceptible to disturbances, especially when near metal objects such as iron, which can cause the direction to be inaccurate,” he said.
The courtesy visit also served to introduce the newly-appointed members of the Sabah State Fatwa Council and to present the latest fatwas that have been gazetted or are in the process of being gazetted.
Also present were the Chief Syarie Judge of Sabah, Datuk Ahadin Arinen and the Director of the Sabah Islamic Religious Affairs Department (Jheains), Datuk Jumain Abdul Ghani.
