Enhancing Islamic Astronomical Literacy and Religious Practice through Qibla Direction Training Using the Istiwa’aini Method and Google Earth at Patna Witya School, Thailand

Abstrak

Background: Strengthening Islamic astronomy literacy is essential to ensure that qibla direction education is grounded not only in religious principles but also in scientific and technological approaches. Patna Witya School in Thailand requires practical assistance in understanding geographical coordinates, visualizing the direction of the Kaaba, and performing basic qibla measurements. Objective: This program aimed to enhance students’ Islamic astronomy literacy, understanding of qibla direction, and practical skills in using Google Earth and the Istiwa’aini method. Methods: The program was conducted over two days, comprising eight hours of instruction and involving 30 students. The activities included a pre-test, instructional sessions, a Google Earth demonstration, hands-on practice of the Istiwa’aini method through solar-shadow observations, guided discussion, and a post-test. Results: The program demonstrated a substantial improvement in participants’ understanding of Islamic astronomy and qibla direction. The mean pre-test score increased from 43.87 to 92.83 on the post-test, representing an absolute increase of 48.96 points and a relative increase of 111.6%. These findings indicate that the training was effective in strengthening participants’ conceptual understanding and practical skills in qibla direction determination. Conclusion: Integrating religious knowledge with science and technology through Google Earth and the Istiwa’aini method provides an effective approach to qibla direction education. This integrated approach can serve as a practical model for strengthening digital religious literacy in Muslim educational institutions.

Keywords: google earth, islamic astronomy, istiwa’ aini, qibla direction, digital religious literacy

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Abstrak

Latar belakang: Penguatan literasi astronomi Islam diperlukan agar pembelajaran arah kiblat tidak hanya bersifat normatif, tetapi juga berbasis sains dan teknologi. Patna Witya School Thailand membutuhkan pendampingan praktis dalam memahami koordinat geografis, visualisasi arah Ka’bah, dan pengukuran kiblat sederhana. Tujuan: Kegiatan ini bertujuan meningkatkan literasi astronomi Islam, pemahaman arah kiblat, serta keterampilan siswa dalam menggunakan Google Earth dan metode Istiwa’aini. Metode: Program dilaksanakan selama dua hari dengan total delapan jam dan melibatkan 30 siswa. Tahapan kegiatan meliputi pre-test, penyampaian materi, demonstrasi Google Earth, praktik metode Istiwa’aini melalui pengamatan bayangan matahari, diskusi, dan post-test. Hasil: Kegiatan menunjukkan peningkatan pemahaman yang signifikan. Nilai rata-rata pre-test sebesar 43,87 meningkat menjadi 92,83 pada post-test. Peningkatan sebesar 48,96 poin atau 111,6% menunjukkan keberhasilan pelatihan dalam memperkuat pemahaman konseptual dan keterampilan aplikatif peserta. Kesimpulan: Integrasi agama, sains, dan teknologi melalui Google Earth dan Istiwa’aini efektif diterapkan dalam pembelajaran arah kiblat dan direkomendasikan sebagai model penguatan literasi digital religius di sekolah Muslim.

Kata kunci: arah kiblat, astronomi Islam, google earth, istiwa’aini, literasi digital religius