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Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| N54E |
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| theOriginal |
| 12/11/02 at 15:40:34 |
| [slm] So, I get a phone call from Daddy saying that he just found out that a long-lost friend who my parents knew when I was 2 is living in Toronto. After calling them, and explaining to them who I am, they naturally invite me and my brother to lunch. Chicken biryani, a oh-my-you're-so-big-now, and a photo album later, it happens to be time for 'Asr, so the mom and myself go upstairs to pray in her room, while all the guys are downstairs. Thing is, I happen to have a very good sense of direction, Alhamdulillah, so she spreads the prayer mat on the ground, and I instantly get uncomfortable (it's facing the wrong direction.) Me: "Umm Auntie, what direction do you guys pray in?" Auntie: "The direction of the ka'bah." Me: "Umm, Northeast?" Auntie: "I don't know, beta...my son calculated the direction." So I pray. (Must have been some sort of a judgement call I was making, but boy, I feel horrible now.) I walk downstairs...and inform my brother that we just prayed in the wrong direction, he goes "oh?", and asks the son, what direction their family prays in. Bro (getting uncomfortable, trying to be polite): "Oh, southeast? Well, actually in Toronto, the generally accepted qibla is 54 degrees East of North." (long Physics discussion ensues...leave it to my bro to do that.) Son: "Our mosque prays in this direction, too." Well of course, the discussion ends there, and I find time to tell my bro that we best be out before Maghrib, because I ain't praying in the wrong direction twice in one day. The q (yes finally): What should I have done? Because, needless to say, those people are probably still praying in the wrong direction. Wasalaam. SF. |
| Re: N54E |
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| pearl |
| 12/11/02 at 20:13:48 |
| [slm] In Syracuse, NY (a half day's drive from Toronto) we also pray facing the Kaaba to the northeast. The Qibla compass that I use confirms this direction, as does the prayer calendar from our local Islamic Society, so I don't think your Auntie was incorrect in positioning herself for salat facing northeast. Of course, since the earth is round (more or less), there could be legitimate differences on this issue. Pearl :-) |
| Re: N54E |
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| bhaloo |
| 12/11/02 at 20:30:15 |
| [slm] SF that's interesting, I was just looking on a map as to where Toronto is (I'm American, ok. ;) and appearantly it is further south then say some place like NY, some place like Albany, NY (i.e. cowtown), so maybe Jannah and Se7en and company can tell us which direction do they pray. I checked out islamicfinder.org and appearantly it says Toronto should be NE. (Hopefully no calculus is needed. :) ) |
| Re: N54E |
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| Kathy |
| 12/11/02 at 20:37:47 |
| [slm] I wish someone would answer this for me so I finally understand it. If you look at a globe, it appears that we in NY should be praying south east. However, all finders, compases are calibrated for us to pray north east. I have heard something about it is shorter distance by air to go north east. I can't help to think that in the Prophet Muhammad's time [saw]- it was not even concievable to calculate the quible by air traffic... unless it was revealed by Allah swt, So how did we start calculating by North East? |
| Re: N54E |
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| theOriginal |
| 12/11/02 at 20:39:32 |
| [slm] Okay just to clarify...I pray Northeast...the Aunty was praying Southeast. It's not like these people recently moved here...they've been living here for years. So I don't know how to go back and tell them, although it is causing me to have very sleepless nights. (I know I'm weird....I don't deny it.) SF. |
| Re: N54E |
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| theOriginal |
| 12/11/02 at 20:43:14 |
| [slm] Sis Kathy... Here's a little excercise. Find a globe...the bigger the better....like the kind they have at the public libraries....take a string with you. Join wherever you live, to Makkah with that string.....and you will see, that it actually goes across in a curved fashion...initially starting off NE. That is the shortest distance. (It always fascinated me) Wasalaam. SF. |
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