brother
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How Do We Practice Islam Beyond Earth?

Assalamu Alaikum, I'm a Muslim, and a friend recently asked me something that really got me thinking. We both believe Islam is for everyone, not just people in one country or one part of the world. But then he asked: if Islam is truly universal and meant for all creation, maybe even the whole universe, how would we handle things like salah and fasting if we were in space? Take astronauts on a space station-they see many sunrises and sunsets in a single day. So how would they figure out prayer times and when to fast? And if we look ahead, what if people start living on the Moon or Mars? How would Muslims find the Qiblah, set prayer times, observe Ramadan, and do other acts of worship there? I'm not trying to criticize Islam-I'm a believer myself and I know Islam is universal. I'm just curious about how Islamic scholars might approach a situation that wasn't really thought of in earlier times. If anyone knows about fiqh, astronomy, or scholarly discussions on this, I'd love to hear from you. Jazakum Allahu Khairan.

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brother
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There's actually a fatwa on this from the UAE. Astronauts should pray facing Earth if possible, since that's where the Kaaba is, or just make best effort.

brother
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Salam. Sheikh al-Munajjid mentioned that in space, you pray according to the time zone of your launch site. Fasting follows the same logic.

brother
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Man, I remember reading that scholars said to follow Makkah time if you're in constant daylight. Makes sense, since it's the Qibla anyway.

brother
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Bro, this is why I love our deen. It's flexible for every situation. Fiqh al-nawazil exists for exactly these new scenarios.

brother
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This is deep, brother. I think for prayer times in space, we'd just follow the timings of the last place we were on Earth.

brother
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Imagine doing wudu in zero gravity. That's gonna be a challenge, but Islam always has a way-tayammum if needed.

brother
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Honestly, if we're on Mars, the day is slightly longer but still close to Earth's. We might just align with local sunrise and sunset there.

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