which way do Muslims face when they pray?

Answer 1

The direction Muslims must face when they pray is called the qibla. What they face, strictly speaking, is not Mecca but the revered Kaaba (spellings vary), the central shrine in Mecca's Great Mosque, which is Islam's holiest place. As one might suppose, the qibla varies from place to place, but an effort is made to enforce uniformity in any given location. In places where Muslims are accustomed to praying, it's not uncommon to see the qibla indicated by an arrow on the ceiling with the legend Makkah (Mecca). You want to make sure you get lined up right, because a prayer carelessly sent in the wrong direction is invalid, or so some believe.

The qibla of the people of the western countries is toward east; the qibla of the people of the eastern countries is toward west; the qibla of the people of the southern countries is toward north; and the qibla of the people of the northern countries is toward south."

This may not seem like the world's most exacting standard, but don't be fooled--it taxed the science of the day. Various methods were proposed to determine direction, such as prevailing winds, mountains, etc., but the most reliable by far was felt to be sighting on Polaris, the north star. This, along with the need to compute prayer times based on sun location, gave rise to an interest in astronomy, navigation, and related subjects that put the Muslim world centuries ahead of Europe.

If you look at a standard flat map of the world, you notice that New York is north of the 40th parallel, while Mecca is south of the 22nd parallel. Therefore the local qibla must be approximately east by southeast, right? Wrong. The computer and most Muslim authorities agree that the qibla in North America is to the northeast, ranging from 56.3 degrees for Washington, D.C., to 23.7 degrees for Los Angeles

Since the operative principle in determining the qibla is the shortest distance, there is a unique qibla for every point on earth except two. The first is (duh) the location of the Kaaba itself. The second is the point precisely opposite it on the globe. If we ignore variations in the curvature of the earth, this point is equidistant in all directions from Mecca. Thus one could argue that the qibla is in any direction one cares to turn--an ambiguity that the timorous may find unsettling.

Answer 2

Muslims face towards the Ka'bah which is present in the city of Mecca..

Answer 3

They face towards Mecca. So if they were on one side of Mecca they would face East and on the other side they would face West.

Answer 4

They face Mecca

Answer 5

They pray in the direction that the U.S. Navy Seal has just come through the door, wall, ceiling ect...praying being the last thing they ever do.

Answer 6

Toward the Kaaba (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaaba) which is in Mecca. So if they were in Mecca they would be facing the Kaaba. So they could be praying in all directions it depends on where the Kaaba is.

Answer 7

They face toward Mecca on their prayer rugs.

Answer 8

Toward Mecca. I wonder which way they pray if they are at Mecca.

Answer 9

For Spamandham, if in Mecca, we face the house of God (Kabaa)

Answer 10

muslims face west when they pray.