Where
to
Pray

Now we know that as the different Sala

are made at different times of day,

muslims need to know the time of day.

But as we travel through life in space and time,

as well as knowing what time it is,

it's also useful to know where we are

especially if we want to know

how to get where we want to go.

You may know where you want to go,

but if you don't know where you are

you don't know in which direction

you should be heading.

It's the same with the Sala.

Once you know that it's time to pray,

and you are washed and ready,

you need to know where you are.

And to know where you are means

to know where other places are around you.

For a muslim making the Sala,

there are only two places that really matter.

One is the place where the Sala is to be made.

They try to make sure that the place they pray is clean.

There's no point in washing your hands and face and feet

if you are going to put them down on dirty ground.

You don't make your Sala in a toilet,

or other dirty places,

and to make sure that their place of Sajda is clean,

many muslims will put down a special carpet on which to pray.

The second important place for a muslim at prayer is

the Ka'aba,

the Ancient House in Makkah.

All muslims when they pray face the same place on the earth,

and for muslims in different parts of the world that is in a different direction.

When muslims pray together they stand shoulder to shoulder

in what seems like straight lines.

But in fact, they are really all standing in giant circles across the world

facing inwards towards the Ka'aba in Makkah.

For muslims that want to pray,

the direction they must face is known as their Qibla.

To help muslims know the direction of Ka'aba when they are in a mosque,

muslims would put an alcove in the wall

pointing in the direction of Ka'aba.

This way muslims using the mosque would know which way to face.

The Arabic word for an alcove is Qibla,

so it's no surprise

that's how the Qibla for prayer got its name.

And it's not just mosques that show the direction of Qibla.

Hotel rooms in muslim countries will usually have an arrow somewhere on the ceiling or window sill

pointing towards Ka'aba

so that people staying there know their Qibla when it is time to make Sala.

But in mosques,

which are dedicated to Prayer,

the Qibla usually gets much more than an arrow on the ceiling,

and some will have beautifully decorated alcoves

to draw attention to the special nature of the place that all muslims face in Prayer.