Qibla Bearings: True North vs Magnetic North

Start by checking what north means

A Qibla bearing and a compass reading are comparable only when they use the same north reference. AL-Naqawa’s Qibla tool gives degrees clockwise from true north. A magnetic compass can use a different reference, so copying the number onto its dial without checking may point you away from the intended bearing.

NOAA defines magnetic declination as the angle between magnetic north and true north. It varies with location and time. An old value from another city is therefore not a reliable correction for your current position.

A worked example with deliberately hypothetical numbers

NOAA gives the relationship: true bearing equals magnetic bearing plus magnetic declination. Rearranging it means the magnetic bearing is the true bearing minus declination. Treat east declination as positive and west as negative.

For illustration only, suppose a tool returns a true bearing of 120°. These examples do not describe a real city or today’s magnetic field.

Use a map or compass with its reference visible

Choose your actual city before reading the bearing. If using a compass, find out whether it displays magnetic north, true north or an already adjusted bearing. Do not apply a second correction to an instrument that has already accounted for declination.

For a map, check its north reference and orientation rather than assuming that the top of a rotated screen is north. If you need a local magnetic correction, use NOAA’s current calculator and keep the location and date with the result.

Understand what the on-screen diagram does

AL-Naqawa’s diagram is a numerical bearing display, not a live phone-sensor compass. Turning the phone does not turn that illustration into a measurement of the room’s orientation. This guide explains references; it does not certify the alignment of a building.

• Confirm the city and read the tool’s true-north label.
• Identify the reference used by the map or instrument you will align with.
• Use a current local correction only if the instrument needs it.
• Keep the bearing, reference and any correction together in your note.