Literally meaning “direction”. the direction that Muslims face when they pray; towards Mecca and the Kabba |  |
Image: Wikipedia.com Five times a day across the world, Muslims unite together in performing Salat, formal prayer, as they were commanded to by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and in the Quran. Not only in the formula of prayers very organised (the words and actions) but also the direction in which they face.
There is archeological evidence that in the earliest Islamic communities that prayer was conducted facing towards Jerusalem, the Holy city of Judaism and Christianity. But seventeen months after the arrival of the prophet in Medina the orientation changed and the holy city of Mecca, and especially the Kabba, became the focus of Islamic prayer.
There is archeological evidence that in the earliest Islamic communities that prayer was conducted facing towards Jerusalem, the Holy city of Judaism and Christianity. But seventeen months after the arrival of the prophet in Medina the orientation changed and the holy city of Mecca, and especially the Kabba, became the focus of Islamic prayer.
Image: WIkipedia How do we know this? Mosques have as one of their features a niche or “Mihrab” that shows the direction of Mecca and thus the direction of prayer. One of the earliest mosques of Islam situated in Medina had two Mihrabs, and thus it seems very plausible that the congregation used to pray facing a different direction.
Whist this is all quite interesting, why is it important? Well on the one hand it shows that Islam from a very early stage saw itself as a distinct religion, the completion of other the other monotheistic faiths that had come before, but also different to them. This happened surprisingly early (Christianity took at least 30 years to emerge as self-confidently distinctive) in Islam’s History. On the other hand it highlights the importance of unity and brotherhood (Ummah) in Islam; The Kabba at the centre of Mecca is a powerful symbol of how united Islam strives to be.
Image: Pixabay.com
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