Sun to Align Directly Over Kaaba on Wednesday, Thursday
Image source: Ministry of Religious Affairs
According to astronomers, the sun will pass directly over the Kaaba at 16.27 Western Indonesian Time or 17.27 Central Indonesian Time on Wednesday (15/7) and Thursday (16/7), Ministry of Religious Affairs has announced.
“At that time, the shadows of vertically situated objects will lead straight to the Kaaba,” Agus Salim, an official from Ministry of Religious Affairs, said in Jakarta, Tuesday (14/7).
Agus said that the phenomenon is also known as Istiwa A’dham or Rashdul Qiblah, that is, when the sun is above the Kaaba and the shadow of objects exposed to sunlight points to the Qibla direction. “The same event occurred on 27 and 28 May 2020,” he said.
The phenomenon, Agus added, can be used for Muslims to re-verify the direction of the Qibla by adjusting the direction of the Qibla with the direction of the shadows of objects at Rashdul Qiblah.
Agus further said that there are several things to be considered in the process of verifying the Qibla direction, namely:
- To ensure that the object is situated vertically or to use a pendulum;
- The surface of the object must be completely flat; and
- The timekeeping device must be adjusted to the standard determined by the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), state radio RRI or state telecommunication company Telkom. (Public Relations of Ministry of Religious Affairs/EN)
Translated by: Ridwan Ibadurrohman
Reviewed by: Yuyu Mulyani
