MacQibla™ is an application which calculates the correct times of Islamic prayers for any day in any city, using either the Western Gregorian or Islamic Hijira calendars. This software is unique in that it takes into account the multitude of different Daylight Saving (Summer) Time systems used throughout the world. The software provides information on the timings of the lunar phases and the moons age which helps to determine the progression of Islamic months. In addition MacQibla™ will calculate the correct Qibla (direction of Makkah) for any of 10,000 cities included in the customizable atlas. This collection of features makes it the perfect tool for any Muslim and for non-Muslims conducting business in the Islamic world.
MacQibla™ is distributed as shareware for a small fee of US$15 (or foreign cash equivalent). Volume discounts are available to qualified educational institutions as well as for corporate site licenses. See below.
If you continue to use this software, please send in the shareware fee. I rely on honest and morally good people to pay me for the products I have created. Without the support of paid users this product would not exist. Thank you for supporting shareware and independent software developers. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon you.
System Requirements...
• A Macintosh PowerPC computer
• System 7.1 or greater (MacOS 8 is strongly recommended)
Copy the MacQibla™ application to your hard drive and double click on its icon to open the program. If you are a registered user, you should enter your name and serial number when requested.
If you have not yet registered and simply wish to evaluate the software on a trial basis, you may press the "Not Yet" button (which becomes active after a short while).
Using MacQibla...
It is my hope that this software is intuitive enough as to not need a great deal of explanation. However...
The left side of the window is a searchable database which contains 10,000 cities. Simply typing in the first few letters of a city name will find that entry. Once you have found a city, drag it to the box in the upper right-hand corner of the window (above the calendars) to view prayer information for that city. If your city is not included in the Atlas, you may add it by chosing "Add Location" from the File menu. Double clicking on an existing city in the Atlas will allow you to edit its information. This is useful if you wish to change the latitude and longitude to more accurately indicate where you are within the city. If you have a GPS system, you can obtain very accurate location information.
The right side of the window contains two dynamically linked calendars. The top calendar displays the Islamic Hijjra date, while the lower calendar displays the western Gregorian date. MacQibla supports all locations and dates from 19 Shaaban, 1417 (1 January, 1997) to 17 Zuul-Hijja, 1461 (31 December, 2039).
The center of the window contains the prayer times, qibla, moon age, moon phase and for the city and date you have chosen. The moon's age is calculated for the moment of sunset on the given day in the chosen city. If there is no sunset on that day (because the city is very far north or south), then the moons age is given for 12:00am (midnight) on that day.
The calculated qibla (direction of Makkah) is quite accurate. However, as you get very close to Makkah, the accuracy of the latitude and longitude of your city becomes increasingly important. For example, if you live in San Francisco, the qibla is basically the same in the surrounding towns. Closer to Makkah, in southern Egypt for example, moving a few miles can alter the qibla quite a bit.
Preferences...
The following is important for accurate calculations.
Asr can be calculated with a shadow ratio of 1:1 or 1:2. Given an object of height x, measure its shadow length (y) at noon. The time of Asr prayer occurs when the object's shadow length = x + y (1:1) or 2x + y (1:2).
Fajr & Isha prayers can be calculated for the sun being 15 or 18 degrees below the horizon. In addition, for extreme latitudes, these can be calculated to occur 90 minutes before sunrise and 90 minutes after sunset.
Because the Islamic Calendar is based on the sighting of the moon, the same Gregorian date can translate into different Islamic dates depending on your geographical location. for this reason, you can offset the Islamic calender +/- 2 days to properly match the Gregorian date.
MacQibla is shareware. You are permitted to try it free for 10 days. After this trial period, you must either register the software or delete it. You are permitted to install the program on as many computers as you wish, as long as it is not used in more than one place simultaneously. If you need to use it on more than one computer at the same time, please register as many copies as you will be using simultaneously. Registered users will be notified of future releases. Minor releases (bug-fixes and minor feature enhancements) will be made available for a small fee to cover mailing, or can be downloaded from online sources. Major releases will be made available for a reduced fee to be determined when new versions become available.
REGISTRATION...
Fees... Single User: $15 / Site License: $300 / Worldwide License: $1200
For discounted pricing on educational or non-profit site licenses, please contact me directly via E-Mail or postal Mail.
Registration by mail...
Please send your cash (US or foreign equivalent) or check payable to "Trygve H. Inda" (US Dollars only) to the address above and include:
- Your name (or company name if applicable).
- Your full mailing address (including street, suite number, city, district, state or province, postal code and country).
- An E-Mail address if you have one.
I am aware of the risks of sending cash through the mail, and if you choose that option, you do so at your own risk. However, I have received many payments using this method from other users. Please make sure that the cash is not visible in the envelope (wrap it in a sheet of paper). If you decide to send cash, I would prefer that it be in your local currency, and not US Dollars. Please round the amount to the nearest value that can be paid in paper currency.
Online Registration...
You may register online with a major credit card using the Kagi registration system by following the link at:
http://www.timepalette.com.
Direct mail, fax or phone to Kagi:
Kagi is a company that acts as a clearing house for shareware registration. A user pays Kagi, and they pay the author. A major advantage is that Kagi is able to accept registrations by credit card.
1) You may use the registration software (available at http://www.timepalette.com) to enter your information and mail or fax it to Kagi.
2) You may register by telephone with Kagi.
I would strongly prefer that you only use Kagi for credit card registration. Kagi generally gives a rather unfavorable exchange rate for foreign cash and there is a longer delay in getting a serial number to you because of the middle man. However, if you choose to use Kagi for cash or checks, please remember to use the exchange rate specified in the registration software and/or make the check payable to "Kagi".
Support for this software is available via E-Mail. Please direct any questions or comments to the electronic mail address at the top of this document. If you do not have access to any of these services, you may contact me by postal mail at the address listed at the beginning of this document. Thank you for your support.
