World's Muslims just CANNOT face Mecca to Pray - Ashok T. Jaisinghani & Mike Ghouse
Manoj,
Thanks for sharing the following comment (posted below), indeed, I'm researching and writing on the subject. However, I will write a short response to it.
1. Manoj, if you enjoy Gulab Jamun and I enjoy Laddu, there is not a scientist, economists, nutritionist, food scientists, dietician.. or any one on this earth who can prove that one is better than the other..It is the faith of your taste bud, that what you eat gives you pleasure and that is all there is to it. Like wise religion is simply a faith.
2. Those who don't believe in what is given to believe, will always question other's beliefs. It stems from disrespect for their own faith.
3. What difference does it make if some one wants to face Mecca or Not? If some one believes going to Jerusalem and carrying the cross will purify him or her, or taking a dip in Ganges will clean one's sins... these are the beliefs. What difference does it make to you if one takes a dip or not? It is one's faith, and if it is not hurting you, what is the problem?
4. Ashok has lost his own logic... he questions about facing Mecca, he should question himself, what difference does it make to him? And what is wrong in facing in a particular direction. Faith does not have to be technically correct.
5. Facing Mecca is an intentional act of unity. In a class room, all kids face towards the teacher, in a temple all devotes face towards the lord (and not in different directions, it will confuse the sanghat), in a church all devotees face the speaker, in the mosques all Muslims do the same. However, they have taken another step to build all mosques facing Mecca. Mecca is a symbol of focus, it is not divine, it is not worshipped, it is simply a common place to face. It gives a sense of unity and it is merely symbolic. Why do we usually look up when we appeal to God?
Every one of us has a ritual, whether we do yoga, puja, eat our food, namaz, wear our clothes with right hand first, give with right hand, taking a shower, sitting next to the sick... there are rituals to follow. Ritual in itself is not the solution, it is the pathway. To avoid people saying whatever they want, there are mantras all of us recite when we are visiting a dead friend's house to make it easy and not be confused. Each one can say what they want and may hurt some one.
Each one of us can sit and face in whatever direction that pleases us in a temple, mosque or a church... is that feasible? Try it.
Indeed, each one of us should honor any one who bows to the almighty Creator. It is a good thing to do.
Let you enjoy your Jamun and me, my Laddu or vice versa.
I hope we continue to ask people... what is the intent?
Laugh at others, demean others or respect others?
How does it affect me.
Read this piece I wrote a while ago: http://mikeghouse.sulekha.com/blog/post/2006/06/religion-and-office.htm
Mike Ghouse
From: "Manoj Padhi"
Date: Fri May 11, 2007 11:57 am
Subject: World's Muslims just CANNOT face Mecca to Pray!
Mike,
I find this interesting. Appreciate if you add your comments and pass it on to group.
-Manoj
From: Ashok T. Jaisinghani < >
Date: May 8, 2007 12:47 AM
Subject: World's Muslims just CANNOT face Mecca to Pray!
World's Muslims just CANNOT face Mecca to Pray!
Facing Mecca to pray is one of the greatest Islamic farces still being practised by the Muslims in this age of scientific enlightenment. While they stand straight, most of the Muslims of the world just CANNOT face Mecca to pray.
While standing erect, the straight line of sight of any person is in the direction of outer space. This straight line of sight can be described as a tangent to the Earth which is a sphere. The Earth is not flat like a plate as Quran believes. The Earth is round like a sphere.
Standing straight, the vast majority of Muslims of the world can only face outer space, and not Mecca. So how can the Muslims face Mecca while praying from most places on the spherical Earth? Only the Muslims living near Mecca in Saudi Arabia can face Mecca while offering their namaaz.
Ashok T. Jaisinghani.
Editor & Publisher:
Muslim astronaut in space worship problem:
The Australian: May 02, 2007
HOW do you pray facing Mecca five times a day when you are circling the Earth 16 times every 24 hours?
This is one of the problems facing Malaysian authorities as they prepare to send their first man into space.
There are others: how to hold the prayer position in zero gravity,ensure that only halal freeze-dried food is in your space cupboard and perform your ritual ablutions before worship?
They have all been answered by a team of Islamic scholars and scientists that has spent more than a year working on guidelines for the astronaut.
The Malaysian will travel to Russia's International Space Station in October, in exchange for a lucrative arms deal. The Government hailed the mission as an important milestone but religious scholars questioned how a practising Muslim could accommodate worship with
the demands of space travel.
The space station travels around the world at 27,000km/h, making Mecca a target in perpetual motion. With 16 orbits a day and five daily devotion sessions determined by times of sunrise and
sunset, devout Muslim astronauts could find themselves chanting their prayers as many as 80 times in 24 hours.
Water is a valuable commodity in space, but Muslims are required to wash before each prayer session.
The holy month of Ramadan also falls during the mission.
All Muslims are required to abstain from food during daylight hours -- but what is daylight in space?
Only two Muslims have gone into space, Prince Sultan bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, who travelled on the US shuttle Discovery in 1985, and Anousheh Ansari, an Iranian-American space tourist, who went to the space station last year. Both had to work out their obligations on their own.
Malaysia insists, however, that maintaining Islamic beliefs "ismandatory for Muslims in every situation, time and place". Mustafa Abdul Rahman, the head of the nation's Department of Islamic Development said: "Circumstances on the ISS that are different from circumstance on Earth are not an obstacle for an astronaut to fulfil a Muslim's obligations. " Two finalists remain from 10,000 applicants: Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor and Faiz Khaleed.
The winner will be told that he may choose to fast in space or make up for it when he returns. If an astronaut doubts that the food provided is halal, he "'should consume it only to the extent of restraining hunger".
On prayers to Mecca, however, the guidebook sidesteps. These should be performed, it says, "according to the capability of the astronaut".
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21656416-2,00.html
Comments received:
Hello Mike,
Have you really understood the meaning of my statement that the "World's Muslims just CANNOT face Mecca to Pray"? I have never stated that the Muslims are not free to face Mecca when they pray. They are free to do that, but are the Muslims of the world really able to turn their faces towards
Mecca when they pray?
Please see the illustration of the Globe that I have given below.
North
New York*n*Mecca
West fGlobeg East
If you look at the map of the Earth showing all the countries and the continents on the Globe, you will see America in the Western Hemisphere, while Mecca in Saudi Arabia is in the Eastern Hemisphere of the Globe. So how can anyone from the Western Hemisphere turn his face towards Mecca which is on the other side in the
Eastern Hemisphere of the Earth? Can any person, while standing straight in New York, Chicago, Dallas, Ottawa, Rio De Janeiro or Buenos Aires, turn his face towards Mecca? Is it possible?
Ashok T. Jaisinghani.
Editor & Publisher:
www.Nutritionist-No-1.com
www.Wonder-Cures.com
E-mail: AshokJai@Sancharnet.in
By Mike Ghouse
Facing Mecca; Physical or symbolic?
Dear Ashok,
Thank you for your note.
Your illustration is excellent, and the meaning you have attached to "Facing Mecca" is understood to be physically facing the Mecca
, which I agree with you is impossible.
But No Muslim expects to see Mecca when they are praying in Delhi, Dacca, Karachi or Dallas
. Facing is symbolic, facing is meant as looking in the direction of; as we look up towards God, we really don't see physical God or anything, when we call upon god through devotional songs, we assume he ( she or it) hears us out. It is simply the symbolic expression and not a physical facing. Take a look at the Kaaba, Mecca, Saudi Arabia at www.WorldMuslimCongress.com where this issue is touched upon.
Indeed, there are little key chain gadgets available in the market, that will help guide with the direction, I have it on my Cell phone.
Ashok, I am glad you are expressing these thoughts. If you come to know of any myths or misunderstandings about any religion, let us work together and clarify them. I welcome you and Manoj ( who does it consistently and sincerely) to write to me about any idea that generates negative sentiments, as there is always, at least another point of view, whether we agree or not.
By the way, as a Muslim, I have taken up to defend every faith, yes every faith. I believe that every faith is designed to make the follower a better human, and to create a society of co-existence. All the wrongs of the world stem from individuals and not from religion.
Religion is the manual to take away the humans from making mistakes, people may wear different religions, under that garb, they continue to remain good, bad and ugly as humans, and religion continues to attempt to make them good humans, some individuals fail and some succeed and most of them hang in there. Each one is individually responsible for their Karma, what you don't pay/receive in this life, the unaccounted balance will be carried forward. Whether Hindus or Muslim or any one, the soul migration continues, an eternal life hear after, or series of realizations until mukti is achieved and gates to eternal life is opened up. Per all the scriptures, all of us join the kingdom of God
finally. You are welcome to attend my workshops listed below.
The responsibility to create a better world of understanding falls squarely on each one of us, whoever is reading this, hears or knows about it, and each one of us have to at least do our individual share of the work. The foundation for Pluralism and the World Muslim Congress is set out to strive for promoting clearer understanding of issues. I invite you and every one out there to share what you know, and learn from others at the following two workshops:
Pluralism Workshop - Learn the application of pluralistic attitudes at work place, home, social situations and other circumstance. It is an open forum. 4th Sundays between 4:00PM - 5:30 PM at Crowne Plaza Hotel, 14315 Midway Road, Addison, TX 75001 Directions:
Click Map - From LBJ Frwy or 635 take Midway road going north, after crossing Spring Valley Road, Crowne Plaza is on the left. It is before reaching Belt line road. Hotel Phone: (972) 980-8877
Hello Mike,
I am forwarding the following response of Rabinder K Koul <arrk00@ameritech.net> to your message of May 15.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: 16 May 2007 9:15 PM
Subject: RE: Facing Mecca; Physical or symbolic?
Dear Mike:
I hope you do not mind my sending a few comments on this debate. You may be right that today there are some Muslims who do not expect to face Mecca while praying. However facing Mecca was not merely a mental attitude, even though it was that too. The facing Mecca
was thought to be possible because till recently ( I mean say 1700-1800) Islamic world (like many others) thought that world was flat. Hence you could literally face Mecca from anywhere. That it is not so is more recent knowledge, hence it violates what was expected. However having said that no one going to Namaz thinks twice about whether he is actually facing Mecca. They have a rule of thumb to find out how to face Mecca and they use that rule of thumb. Whether it is accurate or not is not their concern.
I also noticed some misconception about the Dharma. It is true the acclaimed position of the Judeo-Christian Islamic tradition is that for them religious teachings are a matter of faith and no more than that. Even though the dominance of the western cultural forces globally since 1800’s has made people think that western way of looking at God/religion is the normative way, the fact remains that it is not normative. Today may be many Indians may also think in these terms since colonization particularly (and Islamic conquest before that) has devastated (at least India
) culturally, removed their native narration, world view and supplanted it the western view. But those who still attempt to study India traditions, will tell you that for us “reality/existent” is not a matter of faith alone. (We may call Brahmana/Parma-shiva/para-shakti, but implications of that which is SAT). The real is existent and it has to be experienced as it is. That experience is not a pie in the sky but can be experienced her and now. So Hinduism/Buddhism/Jainism is not a matter of faith alone, even though that is also needed as an initiate. (But that is needed in any thing we get started I to..) The second point I want to make is that traditionally Hindus would not look towards sky to point to some God, they would point inwards to point out the Aatma, the consciousness as the indicator of the BRAHMAN also called Atmalinga.
It is nice of you to think that all religions are there to lead its followers to their path, but our experience with proselytization both by deceit/force and luring can hardly be the indicators of tolerance. If that was the teaching of Islam, then why is there an urgency to spread Islam among the Kaffir by all means? In fact why is there this term Kaffir itself. My experience in Kashmir has been counter to what you say, since we were hounded out of that place because we were Hindus.
Thanks
Ravindra
Post Date:5/11/2007 10:59:55 PM
Update Date:5/17/2007 8:59:16 AM Validity:36500 Days