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| 2006-12-11 |
| Q. On arrival in the US, I started offering my prayers facing South Eastern direction, but recently I was with a group of people who offered their prayers facing the North East. They argued that it was the more accurate direction to the Kaaba. After some argument, it appeared that both views have some solid argument in support. Please comment. A. Siddiqui A. This is a recent problem that started when some people in North America suggested that the shorter distance between their hometown and Makkah is to fly over the North Pole. This may be so, but it seems to be a route with a bend that changes direction. The question is whether we can draw a straight line that connects Makkah to an American city and passes by the North Pole. If such a line is shorter than a direct line southward, then it is the better direction. If this is not possible without a curve that changes direction, then the southward way is better. It needs to be looked into very carefully. An important point that needs to be considered is the route airlines take when they travel from, say, Canada to Jeddah. If they fly over the North Pole, then it could well be the better direction to face in prayer, but if they fly southward, then that is the right direction. |
| Posted by:Ominetch Whaiger3993 |
| #9 Wow! the earth IS round! |
| Posted by: TomAnon 2006-12-11 15:27 |
| #8 What if the 9/11 hijackers had gone to the Mobius Strip Club, where the girls never finish undressing, and you can never get out? |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2006-12-11 13:18 |
| #7 For ed, the Acme Klein Bottle Company. I got one for my baby brother the supercomputer guy for Hanukkah a few years ago, and another for Mr. Wife. Ours still appears embedded in our particular bit of the space-time continuum, but I'd be a bit concerned were we to live in an area with an earthquake problem. ;-) |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-12-11 12:47 |
| #6 Can you attach the picture of the guy in the loincloth standing on his head? |
| Posted by: James 2006-12-11 12:06 |
| #5 You guys think that you know all the answers, try finding the right direction to Mecca when you are at the point diametrically opposed to Mecca on the other side of the world. It is similar to the problem of which south do you pick when at the North Pole, and someone tells you to head south. |
| Posted by: Al-Aska Paul, Resident Imam 2006-12-11 11:53 |
| #4 I can't find the article, but I covered this in a sermon a few years ago. I even covered the issue of praying to Mecca from orbit. These guys are amateurs. |
| Posted by: Al-Aska Paul, Resident Imam 2006-12-11 11:50 |
| #3 The connection seems more Mobius strip than anything. |
| Posted by: Thinemp Whimble2412 2006-12-11 11:33 |
| #2 Wait till one gets stuck in a Klein bottle and prayer time rolls along. |
| Posted by: ed 2006-12-11 09:58 |
| #1 These tools are a little short on their Euclid. The shortest distance between you and your Temple of Elemental Evil is neither a straight line on a map nor those apparently bendy lines followed by aircraft over the Pole. It is, rather, a straight line through the Earth's crust/mantle. This should be obvious to the average Morlock but they may find they need Eloi tech to get their new compass directions right. |
| Posted by: Excalibur 2006-12-11 09:27 |