Malaysia is due to send an astronaut into space with the Russians next year. The country's first spaceman is almost certain to be a Muslim, which raises a number of practical issues. For instance, Muslims wash[ablution and/or ritual bath] before they pray but not only is water a precious commodity in space, but it is also impractical in weightlessness. Likewise, the faithful face Mecca[Qiblah]. However, that will mean pin-pointing a moving location while in zero gravity. And Muslim prayer times are linked to those of the sunrise and sunset, but in orbit the sun appears to rise and set more than a dozen times a day.
Serious discussion
Malaysia's science ministry has called together a group of experts to thrash out these and other questions. It is being billed as the first-ever serious discussion of the issues. It is in keeping with the Malaysian government's mission to promote what it calls Islam Hadhari, or civilisational Islam, which encourages Muslims to embrace education, science and technology. It will doubtless be hoping that a conference of Muslim scientists and scholars debating such cutting edge issues will not go unnoticed in the rest of the Islamic world.
Source: BBC News
3 comments:
Strange that you may ask!
How'sthis for an answer:
If you were to simply face the Qibla and pray to the Qibla then that would be an issue.
For muslims, facing the Qibla is only symbolic. We are praying to Allah. So the direction we face is a non issue.
For Allah has said that he is "everywhere"!
Thanks for ya reply...I guess you are very true...But thats not the question here...consider me ignorant. I dont mind...But becoming this an issue for Islamic scholars from around the world would knock on the head of anyone whos eager..
Cheers
if the space expedition is considered as a journey,i assume, the praying cud and shud be permitted to be postponed,to be performed as qallouh,once he returns to malaysia.
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