Toward a Qur’anic Theory of Qibla: Reassessing Sacred Direction Through Mixed-Methods Analysis

This study offers a comprehensive Qur’an-centric reconstruction of the concepts of Qibla, al-Masjid al-Haram, and Bakka using a mixed-method methodology that integrates corpus linguistics, semantic clustering, hermeneutic analysis, and geographical correlation modelling. The dominant Mecca-centric Qibla narrative, derived from Hadith and Sirah, is shown to lack Qur’anic grounding and to contradict core textual, linguistic, and ecological descriptions. Quantitative results demonstrate that the Qur’anic term Qibla appears solely in Surah al-Baqarah (Q: 2:142-150), where it is consistently linked with guidance (huda), moral testing, and the Straight Path (sirat mustaqim), rather than ritual prayer or architectural direction. Qualitative hermeneutics reveal that the Qur’an frames Qibla as epistemic orientation-alignment with divine revelation-supported by the plural, functional Qiblas established by Moses in Egypt (Q: 10:87). Statistical correlation shows that the sanctuary descriptors of al-Masjid al-Haram and Bakka align more closely with the Hermon/Baqa Valley than historical Mecca. The study concludes that sacred direction in the Qur’an is moral rather than geographical, and that sanctuary identity is defined by universality, guidance, and ecological functionality. This reconstruction calls for a re-evaluation of Islamic historiography, ritual theory, sacred geography, and educational curricula to restore the Qur’anic epistemology of guidance as the foundation of sacred orientation. Collectively, these findings establish a paradigm shift in Qur’anic studies, repositioning Qibla, sacred direction, and al-Masjid al-Ḥaram within the Qur’an’s internal epistemology rather than post-Qur’anic historical tradition.