Verify The Direction Of The Qiblah

Assalamualaikum!

In the evening of 16 July 2009 (tomorrow), a phenomenon where the sun places itself directly above the Kaabah (Istiwa Matahari di atas Kaabah) will take place at exactly 5:28 pm.

We were informed that this occurrence gives us the opportunity to re-examine the direction of the Qiblah as we may have strayed slightly from the actual direction. The sun will be right above the Kaabah on two dates this year; May 28 at 5:16 pm and July 16 at 5:28 pm Malaysian time.

What happens during this period? When it is in the afternoon in Mecca, the sun will be exactly vertical above the Kaabah. This will happen at 12:28 pm, July 16 Mecca time which corresponds to 5:28 pm (the same day) Malaysian time. How to determine the direction of the Kaabah is briefly illustrated in the above diagram. Salaam.