Which direction must Muslims face to make their five times daily prayers if they are offplanet ?

Question

Specifically if they are A) On the international space station B)On a planned moon base or C) A future Martian colony. I wonder if the Shi Imams and/or Suni clerics have considered this and made any rulings on the matter. As we proceed into space we most likely will take our religions with us. So how about it ? Which directions will muslims have to face in order to be facing Mecca when they make their prayers from offworld ?

In the "Chronicles of Riddick" part of the Kabbah(black stone) is chipped off and brought into space and used as a focal point for prayers on the planet where it resides. I know this is fiction, but would something like this even be considered one day ?

Answer 1

if possible... mecca itself

if not, the earth
(but since there's no gravity and you'll be floating around, just pray... Allah will listen)

fact : the kaabah was built on the site where Ibrahim wanted to sacrifice in the name of Allah (in the end, he didn't as it was a test of faith from Allah)

fact : muslims around the world pray TOWARDS the kaabah (there's this special compass in letting you know which direction to face wherever you are on earth)

fact : yes i agree, Islam is straightfoward and easy... it's a peaceful religion (just because muslims go to war, people consider them barbaric / terrorrist... what about christians who wages war with other religion / countries? e.g : US agaist vietnam, iraq etc... it THAT okay? can you call them barbaric? just because they are the so called global SWAT team doesn't give them the leverage to do so...

let's just say...

on earth...

in space...

pray to Allah... faith lies within you...

salam

Answer 2

They would pray towards the Kabbah, just as they pray down here on Earth. So basically, in the direction of Earth.

I've never seen the Chronicles of Riddick, but from what you've said, yes, definitely fiction. This would probably never happen.

A note: the kabbah is just a building. About 80 percent of Islam is symbolism. The Kabbah was built so that Muslims would know which direction to pray in. Technically, at prayer time, all the Muslims of the earth are praying in a circle, because they are all praying in the same direction. This sybolizes unity. Strength.

Note: the Kabbah is still a sacred place, symbolism or no.

Answer 3

As I ponder this question, I find myself wondering... Which side of the bed is supposed to face Mecca? My first thought was, obviously, the head. But in that position, the patient cannot himself face Mecca unless he fully arches his back -- a feat which requires mastery of Hatha Yoga. (And wouldn't he then wish to face Calcutta?) Turning the bed ninety degrees allows the patient to face Mecca while resting on his side. Turning it 180 degrees lets him look in the right direction if his pillow is propped up. However, one would want to take into account the nature of the patient's infirmity. With appendicitis, he would probably want to be on his left side. And if he is recovering from rectal surgery, that could change everything. Best would be to place the entire hospital building on a rotating platform, so that it comes full circle every four hours and forty eight minutes. Seriously, I think it's a good thing to accommodate people's religious/spiritual needs. But it appears that some administrator went overboard, trying to make a major policy decision when a little common sense would have done the trick. If a patient wants to face in a certain direction five times a day, for whatever reason, try to find him a bed that happens to be facing in that direction. If that's not available, and he lacks the mobility to properly orient himself, see if one of his relatives, or a hospital volunteer, or the fellow in the next bed can help position him. The idea of bed-turning for only the terminally ill doesn't make much sense to me. But maybe I'm missing something.

Answer 4

If I would hazard a guess:
A) They pick whichever point the ISS is over and project themselves down to it, then face toward Mecca. They probably ignore the fact that by the time they stop they'll be in a completely different place. Otherwise, they'd have to sit on an automated turntable.

B) Face the earth. It's imprecise but it's the thought that counts.

C) Same. At that distance you can just consider the earth a point unless you use a telescope.

Answer 5

(2:115)
To Allah belong the east and the West: Whithersoever ye turn, there is the presence of Allah. For Allah is all-Pervading, all-Knowing.

So to answer your question, in space, there is no "Qibla" and wherever you face to pray, it will be fine.

Remember, Islam is easy, not hard!

Salam!

UPDATE: I don't think that would be considered. The location of the Ka'ba where the Qibla is found today, is the holy site, not the objects or stones that are built on the location, so I don't think Muslims would transport a piece of a rock to outer space and use it as a marker. This just would not be an option...

Answer 6

Muslims face Mecca 5 times daily to pray, not any specific direction. So in all of your above examples, they would face Earth.

Answer 7

Prayer need no directions, as prayers is to God, and God is not in any directions, so on the outer space one may pray in any direction.
On earth we face the Ka'bah because our beloved Prophet wanted it to be our direction which Almighty God accepted.
Sunni Imam.

Answer 8

Facing the general direction of Earth would probably be enough. There's enough mapping equipment on any space station or moon base for them to figure it out pretty easily.

Answer 9

On a similar topic, I have actually heard Greeks arguing that the Patriarch of Constantinople has jurisdiction on the moon because of an ancient canon which puts him in charge of "barbarian territories."

Eh, I'm sure they'll figure out a way to accommodate their nonsense to the innovations of real thinkers.

Answer 10

it depends on what planet they are on or their location in comparison to the earth. check a map of the solar system in which would point you in the direction towards mecca, i dont even want to know why you asked this question, but i hope my answer helped