Qibla direction in Saguenay

How to face the Qibla in Saguenay

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 29.4° towards north: the result is the bearing of 60.6°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 29° off.

The scholars distinguish two cases: the one who sees the Kaaba aims at the building itself, while the one who cannot see it, as anywhere in Saguenay, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of a local mosque is a quick way to confirm the result. If you travel or move house, check the angle again, since it changes from place to place.

Why a flat map shows a different direction

This is a place where maps mislead badly: a straight line on a flat map from Saguenay to Mecca points to 106.8° (east), a full 46.3° away from the true Qibla of 60.6° (north-east). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 696 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Saguenay first heads north-east, and that is the direction to face.

The value of 60.6° is the direction in which the shortest route from 48.4168° N, 71.0657° W sets off towards the Kaaba at 21.4225° N, 39.8262° E. Every accurate Qibla calculator, and the plans of well-oriented mosques, arrive at the same angle for this point.

Distance from Saguenay to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 9,671 km from Saguenay as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 9,392 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 11 h 53 min, although most pilgrims from Saguenay connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Saguenay run 8 hours behind Mecca in winter and 7 hours behind Mecca in summer, because of daylight saving time. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Saguenay rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Saguenay

On 38 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Saguenay while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in June (28 days); for example, on 15 June 2027 it happens at 05:28 local time.

On 274 days the sun stands exactly opposite the Qibla: then the shadow of any vertical object, a pole, a door frame or a plumb line, points straight towards Mecca. This is most frequent in March (31 days), for instance on 15 February 2027 at 16:06.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Saguenay: at 05:18 and 05:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Saguenay compared with other cities

Compared with Ottawa, 485 km away, the Qibla in Saguenay is turned 3.4° further clockwise (60.6° against 57.2°), and Mecca is 474 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Québec (179 km), prays towards 60.4°, a difference of 0.2°.

Across the 46 cities in Canada on this site, the Qibla ranges from 16.5° in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada to 73.4° in St. John's, a spread of 56.9°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Canada.

Qibla in cities near Saguenay

• Québec60.4° · 179 km
• Trois-Rivières59.4° · 256 km
• Sherbrooke59.9° · 341 km
• Saint-Louis-de-Terrebonne58.5° · 365 km
• Montreal58.7° · 376 km
• Orléans, Ontario, Canada57.3° · 471 km