''Al Qibla'' (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

: ''direction of Mecca'') was the official gazette of the

Kingdom of Hejaz The Hashemite Kingdom of Hejaz ( ar, المملكة الحجازية الهاشمية, ''Al-Mamlakah al-Ḥijāziyyah Al-Hāshimiyyah'') was a state in the Hejaz region in the Middle East that included the western portion of the Arabian Penins ...

. It was in circulation between 1916 and 1924 and headquartered in

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...

. The paper was a four-page broadsheet and published twice a week, on Mondays and on Thursdays. The slogan of ''Al Qibla'' was the following verse taken from

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...

And We did not make the qibla which you used to face except that We might make evident who would follow the Messenger from those who would turn on their heels.

History and profile

''Al Qibla'' was first published on 15 August 1916, five weeks after the capture of Mecca by

Sharif Hussein Hussein bin Ali al-Hashimi ( ar, الحسين بن علي الهاشمي, al-Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī; 1 May 18544 June 1931) was an Arab leader from the Banu Hashim clan who was the Sharif and Emir of Mecca from 1908 and, after proc ...

. The founders of the paper were

Muhib Al Din Al Khatib Muhib Al Din Al Khatib (1886–1969) was a Syrian journalist and politician who established various publications in Hejaz and Egypt, including ''Al Qibla'' and '' Al Fath''. Early life and education Born in Damascus in July 1886 Al Khatib was t ...

and Fuad Al Khatib. It was published by Wilāya Press in Mecca on a semi-weekly basis. Muhib Al Din Al Khatib was also its founding

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

. Tayeb Al Sassi also served in the post. The paper featured international news based on the official communiques from Cairo, local news and writings of leading Arabic writers concerning ethical and social virtues. It also published reports from European and other foreign newspapers and periodicals. The British agents in the region helped the distribution of the paper. Following capture of

Hejaz The Hejaz (, also ; ar, ٱلْحِجَاز, al-Ḥijāz, lit=the Barrier, ) is a region in the west of Saudi Arabia. It includes the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif, and Baljurashi. It is also known as the "Western Provin ...

by Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud, founder and later

king of Saudi Arabia The king of Saudi Arabia is the monarchial head of state and ruler of Saudi Arabia who holds absolute power. He is the head of the Saudi Arabian royal family, the House of Saud. The king is called the "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques" (), a ...

, ''Al Qibla'' was replaced by '' Umm al Qura''. ''Al Qibla'' folded after the publication of the last issue in September 1924. It produced a total of 852 issues during its lifetime.

Contributors and political stance

Sharif Hussein was closely interested in the design of the paper and the language used in the news. He also published several articles in the paper which was supported by the British authorities. From 1919 his name appeared as the editor-in-chief of the paper in the masthead. The contributors of ''Al Qibla'' were mostly Syrian exiles living in Egypt. ''Al Qibla'' had an

Arabist An Arabist is someone, often but not always from outside the Arab world, who specialises in the study of the Arabic language and culture (usually including Arabic literature). Origins Arabists began in medieval Muslim Spain, which lay on the ...

and Islamist ideology. The goal of the paper was to strengthen the awareness of the Arabs and Muslims about the threats of

Wahhabism Wahhabism ( ar, ٱلْوَهَّابِيَةُ, translit=al-Wahhābiyyah) is a Sunni Islamic revivalist and fundamentalist movement associated with the reformist doctrines of the 18th-century Arabian Islamic scholar, theologian, preacher, an ...

against

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

. ''Al Qibla'' also opposed to the

Committee of Union and Progress The Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) ( ota, اتحاد و ترقى جمعيتی, translit=İttihad ve Terakki Cemiyeti, script=Arab), later the Union and Progress Party ( ota, اتحاد و ترقى فرقه‌سی, translit=İttihad ve Tera ...

and the military alliance of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

with the

Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,german: Mittelmächte; hu, Központi hatalmak; tr, İttifak Devletleri / ; bg, Централни сили, translit=Tsentralni sili was one of the two main coalitions that fought in ...

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. In addition, Sharif Hussein employed the publication to justify his revolt against the Ottoman Empire. Following the publication of the

Balfour Declaration The Balfour Declaration was a public statement issued by the British government in 1917 during the First World War announcing its support for the establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine, then an Ottoman regio ...

in November 1917 he published a number of articles in ''Al Qibla'' in which he called for the cooperation with

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

and asked Arabs to avoid conflicts with the British in that they would help them achieve independence.

Legacy

In the anniversary of the foundation of the Hashemite Kingdom of Hejaz several issues of ''Al Qibla'' were reprinted and distributed as a supplement of the Jordanian daily newspapers, including ''

The Jordan Times ''The Jordan Times'' is an English-language daily newspaper based in Amman, Jordan. History Established in 1975, ''The Jordan Times'' is owned by the Jordan Press Foundation, a shareholding company which also runs the Arabic-language daily '' A ...

'', in 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Qibla 1916 establishments in Asia 1924 disestablishments in Asia Arabic-language newspapers Defunct newspapers published in Saudi Arabia Former state media Government gazettes Mass media in Mecca Publications established in 1916 Publications disestablished in 1924