The Honor of the Kabah
Lies in Revelation,
Not Geometry Or Geography
As Muslims, our hearts are naturally attached to Makkah. We love the House of Allah and often seek to share its magnificence with the world. However, in our enthusiasm, we sometimes circulate a popular claim: that the Kabah is located at the Earth’s exact “Golden Ratio point.”
This claim suggests that the city’s position is a unique mathematical and geometric center of the globe, a physical miracle designed by Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala). While this idea sounds appealing, it is scientifically inaccurate and, more importantly, unnecessary for our faith.
This article explores why this claim is a “hoax” scientifically and why true Islamic scholarship focuses on the spiritual, rather than geometrical, miracle of the Kabah.
1. What is the Golden Ratio?
The Golden Ratio, often represented by the Greek letter Phi ($\phi$), is a number approximately equal to 1.618. It is a mathematical ratio found in nature (like patterns in sunflower seeds or shells) and art, often associated with perfect balance.
The theory claims that if you measure the Earth’s map, Makkah falls exactly at this 1.618 ratio point. Let’s look at why the math doesn’t actually work.
2. The Latitude Claim (North-South): Close, But Not Exact
To understand this, we must first be clear on our terms.
- Latitude (North-South): These are the horizontal lines that wrap around the Earth like a belt (e.g., the Equator). They measure how far “up” or “down” you are.
- Longitude (East-West): These are the vertical lines that connect the North and South Poles. They measure how far “left” or “right” you are.
The Calculation: The distance between the North and South Poles is 180 degrees. If you divide this by the Golden Ratio (1.618), you get a point approximately 111.25 degrees from the South Pole.
The Reality: If you map this out, it lands at approximately 21.25° North. The actual latitude of the Kabah is 21.42° North.
- The Difference: The gap is about 0.17 degrees.
- In Distance: This equals approximately 19 kilometers (12 miles) south of the Kabah.
The Critical Flaw: This misses the mark significantly. The sacred boundary of the Haram (the Sanctuary) extends only about 11 to 12 kilometers to the South (at Idhat Libn). This means the theoretical “Golden Ratio point” is outside the Haram Sanctuary entirely. It lands in the non-sacred area known as Al-Hill. It is hard to call something a miracle when the math doesn’t even land inside the Sanctuary!
3. The Longitude Claim (East-West): A Human Invention
This is where the scientific claim falls apart completely.
Unlike Latitude (which has the Equator as a natural middle), Longitude has no natural starting point. The Earth is a spinning sphere. There is no natural “beginning” or “end” for East and West.
The line we use as “zero” today—the Prime Meridian—runs through Greenwich, England. Why? Because in 1884, humans voted to put it there. Before that, different civilizations used different starting lines.[1]
Because the starting line is human-made, you can technically draw a map starting anywhere to make a “Golden Ratio point” land on any city you want—New York, Tokyo, or Makkah. Therefore, claiming Makkah is the “natural center” of East and West is scientifically impossible, because the Earth has no East-West center.
4. The Religious Perspective: We Don’t Need Pseudoscience
As orthodox Muslims, we must be careful not to build our faith on shaky foundations. The great scholars of Islam have never relied on the “Golden Ratio” to prove the truthfulness or virtue of the Kabah.
The sanctity of the Haram is established by Divine Revelation (The Quran and Sunnah), not by geometry.
Allah says: “The first House (of worship) appointed for mankind was that at Bakkah (Makkah), full of blessing and a guidance for the worlds.” (Quran 3:96)
When we attach the truth of Islam to fragile scientific theories or hoaxes, we risk embarrassing the Ummah when those theories are disproven. The miracle of the Kabah is that it is the Qiblah of the believers, the place where the Prophets of Allah (Alaihimus Salam) worshipped Allah, and the site chosen by Allah for the rites of the Hajj, etc. This spiritual reality is far heavier on the scales than any map calculation, geometry or geography.
Summary
Here is the simple truth about Makkah and the Map:
- North and South: Some people say if you do a special math calculation between the North and South Poles, you land exactly on Makkah. This is not true. The numbers are close, but they do not match exactly.
- East and West: A ball has no beginning or end when you spin it sideways. Humans just drew a line on a map and said, “Let’s start here.” Because we can start the map anywhere we want, there is no real “center” of the Earth.
- The Real Miracle: We do not need a map to tell us Makkah is special. Makkah is special because Allah chose it. We love the Kabah because it is the House of Allah, and that is the only proof we need.
[1] Before the world agreed on Greenwich, UK, as the “Prime Meridian” in 1884, “0 degrees longitude” was a matter of cultural preference, not geographic reality. Different civilizations established their own starting lines based on politics and convenience:
- Ancient India: Astronomers used the city of Ujjain as their central reference point for centuries.
- France: The French measured the world relative to Paris, maintaining a scientific rivalry with Britain.
- Islamic & Greek Scholars: Many classical geographers used the Canary Islands (the “Fortunate Isles”) as the zero point because it was the westernmost edge of the known world.
- The USA: American maps often used Washington D.C. as the prime meridian.
These examples prove that the “East-West center” of the Earth changes depending on who draws the map. Therefore, you cannot claim any city is the objective “Golden Ratio center” of longitude, because the starting line for that measurement is entirely a human invention.
(-by Mohammed bin Thajammul Hussain Manna)
Saheehus-Seerah 