As-salamu alaykum
This blog is always thrilled to announce new and/or clever re-jiggering of existing technologies that facilitate improvements to peoples lives. In the case of this new product from Casio, one could hardly think of a more practical re-application of existing watch features for the millions of Islamic people who can benefit from it.
The Qibla (Arabic: meaning”direction”), is the direction that should be faced when a Muslim prays during salah. It is fixed as the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca. Most mosques contain a wall niche, known as mihrab, that indicates the Qibla. But such indicators are otherwise non-existent in most of the world. Call to prayer (Adhan) times occur five times a day and in some parts of the world are easy to comply with since all the mosques audibly broadcast them. Without mosques, however, the specific variable times, measured by the movement of the sun, are difficult to know and accurately track.
Casio has introduced a selection of new analog-digital watches specifically designed for Islamic people who are traveling or out and about in the world: the wristwatches feature built in a prayer compass and other functions to help ensure that prayer requirements are satisfied throughout the day.
The press of a dedicated button causes the second hand to point to Qibla, and the five prayer times for the current day can be determined using the digital display and the second hand. Prayer times for other dates can be accessed as well. The Qibla direction and prayer time features are each assigned their own button making the operation simple and convenient.
This is a well appointed watch that also includes thermometer, moon data, world time, stopwatch, countdown timer and five daily alarms. Casio’s renown water and shock resistance are included as is LED backlighting, long 2 year battery life, selectible hourly signal, full auto calendar (to 2099), and 12/24 hour format. The case is 45mm wide, so it is stylishly large.
There are currently six different versions of this watch (pictured above). Distribution is currently limited to North African and Asian countries, so if you are interested if getting one, you’ll have to do some online searching. My own Google search flushed up Sky Watches in Singapore who offer these watches from about $120 to $150 USD plus shipping.
With respect: wa `alaykumu s-salāmu wa rahmatu l-lāhi wa barakātuh
qibla, mecca, prayer, islam, muslim, mosque, compass, mihrab, casio, 2012, watch, salah, kaaba, mihrab, adhan, cpw-500h-1av, cpw-500hd-1av, cpw-500hg-1av, cpw-500hl-1av, cpw-500hd-7av, cpw-500h-9av
Allaho Akbar