The Poor Man's Evidence Against Those Who Direct Themselves in the Prayer Like Travelers

8/6/2019 The Poor Man's Evidence Against Those Who Direct Themselves in the Prayer Like Travelers

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submission productions presents:

THE POOR MANS EVIDENCE

against those who direct themselves in prayer like travelers

Clarification that one must face the direction in prayer, and not a travel route, that the shape of the Earth does not

influence the prayer direction, that the line drawn over the globe is curved, not straight, and that the method that

lead to praying northeast is itself invalid.


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T H E P O O R M A N S E V I D E N C E

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In the name of Allah this debate is produced after having the issue of the Qiblah

presented in a way that dictated study and concentration. It is a refutation of a

famous book prepared with the purpose of defending the north-eastern Qiblah in

North America.

Fortunately, that books level is above that of the average persons understanding

and interest, leaving much of it to be neglected by the reader. Unfortunately,

however, the books size and diagrams encourage the person who prays in the

wrong direction, and intimidate the person who prays in the correct direction.

Truly, the most powerful aspect of the book is only its thickness and its pictures.

When looking past those, it becomes clear that the book is like a cowardly giant,

intimidating others only by its size, while its heart is as weak and measly as that of achild.

Its academic approach may have caused many of those who are on the right path to

lower their heads, for the masses of the people are not equipped to deal with the

fallacies and mathematics presented therein. As a service to those poor Muslims

who are not vastly knowledgeable about the different aspects of geography,

geometry, trigonometry and the like, here are answers from basic Fiqh and simple

matters of logic.

This book is not necessarily to convince those who pray northeast, and hopefully

they will be convinced, but to assure and empower those who face the proper

direction, and sway those who are doubtful. There is no math or special

terminology, but there are a few diagrams that address the most basic and vital

matters needed to understand the case and repel the fallacies.

It is not a condition that this work be comparable to that one in size, for surely Allah

gave victory to His Prophet Dawud (David) in the face of the arrogant giant Jalut

(Goliath).

Certainly, Allah supports those who support His Religion, and He helps those who

help their fellow Muslim.


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THE POOR MANS EVIDENCEWhen determining the direction of prayer, we are only concerned with the four

cardinal directions: north, south, east and west. That is different from travelling or

moving, for then one is additionally concerned with the relative directions of forward and

behind, above, below, right and left. In the Quran, we are not ordered with anything

other than facing the actual direction of Masjidul-Haram, which contains the Ka^bah.

That would be achieved by two steps:

1. Establishing the direction of Makkah from ones location by comparing thelocation of Makkah to ones personal location, then,

2. Without concerning oneself with the issues of travel, motion, or the shape of theearth, and without one imagining himself praying through the earth, or any other

irrelevant matter, one uses the religious references to his utmost ability and faces

that said direction.

This is the easy obligation Allah ordained when He said in His Book:

)> )>1{Turn yourselves towards its direction}

This only requires vision and knowing how to locate the sun, shadows, stars, and other

creations of Allah. We are not ordered to calculate a travel route to face, nor to measure

the surface of the Earth, which not every person is capable of performing. It is worth

noting that some who face the northeast do not translate the word sha tr in the verse,

which means direction.

1 Al-Baqarah, 150


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#1) Southeast Supporter: There are four directions.

Northeast Supporter:

I Agree

PROCEED TO #2

I Disagree

You havecontradicted theQur'an


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The directions are confirmed in the Quran and the Hadith. An often overlooked

question is, What are the four directions according to the religious references (not the

statements of non-Muslim geographers or Muslims who have not learned (or practiced)

their Religion properly)? The four directions are confirmed in the Quran when Allah

says:

2{The Lord and Owner of the two easts and the two wests}.

As for the east and the west, they are pronounced in the verse. As for the north and thesouth, they are implied by the verse, because the two easts are the southeast and the

northeast. Depending on the season, the sun rises from one of these two easts. The two

wests are the southwest and the northwest. Also, depending on the season, the sun sets in

one of these two wests3. Furthermore, over 1,000 years ago, the scholars mentioned the

religiously recognized signs for determining these four directions.

The Religious proof teaches us that the east is the direction from which the sun

rises, and it is from that direction that we know the time of the dawn prayer is first in.

The west is the direction in which the sun sets, and it is from that direction that we know

that the night prayer is first in. The north is known by the North Star, and the south is its

opposite. This is simple and applicable by all people, not just mathematicians and

geographers. If someone were to ask, Does this mean that we cannot use any new

inventions or devices besides those signs? The answer is, If those other means comply

with the original signs for finding the Qiblah, then they are permissible, like a tested

compass. If they contradict those known signs, then they are rejected, like putting a string

on the globe or calculating the Earths surface.

2 Surah Ar-Rahman, 17.3 (12/706= ):

(: : );

( : ) .

(1/16= ):

:

(

)

:


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Certainly, it is necessary that each direction would be different from the other, or

else a person would be unable to point east with one hand and west in the other direction

with the other hand. Thus, north is not the same as south, east or west; south is not the

same as north, east or west; east is not the same as north, south or west, and west is not

#2) Southeast Supporter: Eachdirection is different from the other;they are not one and the same.

Northeast Supporter:

I disagree.

Southeast Supporter:Then there is noway to distinguishbetween onedirection and theother, and this isinvalid.

I agree.

proceed to #3


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the same as north, south or east. Anything otherwise is an overturning of reality. This

introductory matter is key to understanding and unravelling the fallacy that shall come.

The scholars of Creed, as well as the scholars of Usul-Fiqh and Hadith, have

confirmed that sound senses are a channel for creatures to achieve definite, certain

knowledge. All who have sound senses are able to confirm that the directions have an

actual existence, and that they are not mere concepts or ideas. One can simply point, or

#3) Southeast Supporter: The directions arephysically confirmed; they are not mereconcepts with no actual reality.

NortheastSupporter:

Yes,directions are

physically

confirmed

proceed to #4

No, they aremere

concepts

SoutheastSupporter: youhave negatedwhat isconfirmed bysound senses.


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even look into a direction, thereby confirming it. This is true of the relative directions as

well as the directions that are determined by the sunrise, sunset and the North Star.

#4) Southeast Supporter: Eachdirection has an actual existence,and neither direction is the other.Some of them are opposites when

compared to eachother, and othersare not.

Northeast Supporter

I agree

proceed to #5

I disagree

Southeast Supporter: What,then, are the directionsaccording to you?

Northeast Supporter: Thedirections are north,south, east and west.

PROCEED TO #5


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If two things are different from each other, they are either opposites, or not. If

they are opposites, the existence of one negates the other in reference to the same time

and place. This is like black and white, up and down, existence and non existence, south

and north, etc. If they are different without being opposites, then the existence of one

would not cancel the existence of the other, such as a bed and a chair, or a house and a

flower, or south and east.

If what has been presented thus far is clear, then before proceeding to number six,

it would be easy to understand the fallacy of Nuh Keller, who used optical illusions to

support the Northeastern Qiblah. Among those illusions is what he used to deny the

reality of the directions and give the impression that they are only virtual:

#5) Southeast Supporter: South is the opposite of north.

Northeast Supporter: I agree.


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This picture is a cropped scan from his book. It implies that north and

south have no actual reality, and that they are just ideas of men. This is not

correct, for in reality (the actual physical world), one would never walk

without turning or curving, and then one direction becomes the other. In the

physical world, all directions are different. Going from north to south

requires a curve (change in direction).


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Part of his mistake is that he started from the North Pole. As will be

mentioned again later, the starting point is Makkah, not the North Pole.

Another part of his mistake is that he abandoned the religiously recognizedsigns for determining the directions, and instead, he preferred imaginary

markers. Our Religion is easier than that. According to this diagram, a

person could be facing the north, take one step forward and be facing the

south. In the real, physical world, a learned Muslim would look for the

sunrise to known the east, the sunset to know the west, and the North Star to

know the north, and put his back to for the south. Those imaginary markers

do not truly determine the directions. It is by the signs created by Allah that

the directions are determined- at least this is the case for the Muslim who

wants to practice like the Prophet and his Companions.

Had Nuh Keller demonstrated in this picture that there is a curve, then

we would be unable to argue. Instead, he left the impression that there is no

curve, to encourage people to pray in the wrong direction. For him to

explicitly confess that there is a curve is to open himself up for rebuttal from

those who know that the direction between points A and B is not only the

shortest distance between the two points, but the shortest distance with a

straight line. As for the shortest distance over a curved surface, this is the

concern of the traveler, not the person performing the prayer.

PROCEED TO #6


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#6) Southeast Supporter: If "A-B"were a perfectly straight line goingnorth, then "B-A" would not be northsince it is the opposite direction.

Northeast Supporter

I disagree.

SoutheastSupporter: youhave fallen intoexplicitcontradiction,which is invalid

I agree.

PROCEED TO #7


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This is the same fallacy of Nuh Keller. Here is another optical illusion from his book:

B

A

B


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In these above mentioned diagrams, one illusion is that line AB is bearing north, and

line BA , the exact opposite, is also bearing north. Another illusion is that this straight

line occurs over a curved surface.

Note that in his diagram, the first of the three images shows a solid line, we will call

it CD , which goes from south to north:

If the exact opposite view of that picture were presented, one would clearly see line DC

bearing south:

C

D

D

C


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Now take a look at both sides together and see how the illusion of a straight line

disappears:

Looking at both sides reveals the obvious curve that alters the direction. Line CD on the

right side of the page goes northeast, and line DC on the left side is southeast, for

ultimately, there is no escape from bearing southeast, because Makkah, in reality, is truly

southeast of the United States and Canada. That is not the question at hand. Oddly, the

question that confused the people was, Do we face the actual direction, or do we face the

shortest route of travel? Those who took by the first option faced southeast. As for those

who took by the second option, they faced northeast, convinced their followers that the

shortest route is the actual direction, and then fooled themselves into thinking that a

straight line occurred over a curved surface. To justify this, the aforementioned illusions

C

D

D

C


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were presented to encourage those who turn away from the Ka^bah to stay steadfast on

their divergence. Then, it would not be to the interest of those who are supporting the

northeastern direction by using those illusions to show the opposing view that has been

presented, for then the illusion would disappear, and the change in direction, along with

the fact that there is no straight line, would show up for everyone to see, thereby

nullifying their point.

#7) Southeast Supporter: The method you use implies that thisimpossibility could occur; that (A-B) would be a perfectlystraight line bearing north, and that (B-A) is also north in theopposite direction.

NortheastSuporter:

"I don't knowwhy"/ noresponse

SoutheastSupporter:Because it is amistake thatshould beretracted

Because the globeis round, and not

flat, just as theEarth is not flat.

PROCEED TO #8

because of themarkers used indetermining the

directions

PROCEED TO#10


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To recap: If one were to put a string on a globe from New York to Makkah, it

would start off bearing northeast. This is evidence for the one who supports the

northeastern direction. However, there are several truths to be mentioned: Firstly, putting

a string on a globe is not a proper way to determine the Qiblah. Secondly, eventually, the

string would actually curve and change direction, which nullifies the validity of praying

northeast. The third is that supposing it were a straight line, if one were to follow that

same line back from Makkah to New York, it goes northwest. This gives the illusion that

there could be a straight line to Makkah from New York bearing North (east) that goes

back in the exact opposite direction while still bearing north (west) instead of south

(west). In the physical world, this is actually impossible.

Note: As previously mentioned, and we repeat and reiterate, the starting point should be

Makkah, not the North Pole; another case of deviating from the original rules for the talk

of the non-Muslims and ignorant people. One should start from Makkah, and then go out

from there. A true straight line starting at Makkah and ending at New York is northwest.

Therefore, the direction from New York to Makkah is southeast, as the consensus of the

scholars dictates: the people of the north face the south, the people of the south face the

north, the people of the east face the west and the people of the west face the east.

If the direction from Makkah to New York is northwest (which both sides agree

upon), then by necessity, northeast would not be the direction from New York to

Makkah. On the other hand, it is not impossible for the route of travel to start northeast,

and then for the return trip to start northwest. Thus is the difference between the route of

travel (because of the terrain or shape of the surface) - and this is NOT what Allah

ordered to face in our prayers- and the actual direction, which IS what we are ordered to

face. The Quran orders us to face the actual direction. According to Imam Ash-

Shafi^iyy, one must strive to face the exact entity of the Ka^bah.


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If the one who supports the northeastern Qiblah admits that the shape of the Earth

does not affect the direction between two stable points, which is true, then there would be

no benefit in using the globe as evidence. This means that whether the Earth were

spherical or cubical or cylindrical, etc, the direction between points A and B are fixed and

confirmed. If they do not shift or relocate, then the shape or terrain of the surface does

not affect the direction between them. Hence, the Earths terrain is unreliable in

determining the direction of Prayer, and that is not what Allah ordered us to rely upon. To

make it clearer, if there were a mountain between one and the Ka^bah, he faces the

mountain, thereby facing the Ka^bah, and he does not face the shortest route of travel,

#8) Southeast Supporter: The terrain or shapeof a surface does not affect the directionbetween two stable points.

NortheastSupporter:

I disagree

PROCEED TO #9

I agree

SoutheastSupporter:Then you haveinvalidatedyour ownevidence: yourround map.


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which would be to go around the mountain (make an arc). In our case, the ocean is like a

great mountain between North America and Makkah. To face southeast is to face the

mountain, but to also face the Ka^bah. To face northeast is to turn away from the Ka^bah

so to go around the mountain; i.e., it is a travel route. In the following diagram, there are

three arrows. The red arrow is a true straight line with the real implication of facing

northeast: that one turns away from the Ka^bah. The black arrow is a straight line going

through the elliptical object (not over its surface) and demonstrating the true direction

to the Ka^bah: southeast. The giant curved arrow represents the string placed over the

globe, or the route taken by airplanes. It is an arc, not a (straight) line. It does not give the

direction to Makkah, but it is ideal for travel over the curved surface. Those who face

northeast believe that this is a straight line. They think that this is what represents their

prayer direction, but truly they have only taken the red arrow and invalidated their

prayers by turning away from the Ka^bah, may Allah help them. The intersection made

by the dotted lines represents New York on the other side of the globe.

NE

SE SE


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This would be the answer of someone like Nuh Keller to what was previously

mentioned in question six. He would say, We establish markers to determine the

directions, and if someone passes one of those markers, he will have officiallyinterrupted that direction and commenced a new direction. We have already mentioned

that the true signs that the Muslims should use for determining the directions are the sun,

stars, and other actual creations, not imaginary markers.

#9) Southeast Supporter: How, if they varybecause of terrain, can we determine the reality ofthe directions and distinguish between them?

Northeast Supporter: Establish markersfor the directions.

PROCEED TO #10


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Contradiction is categorically invalid. If the markers used are contradictory, they

must be abandoned. If they are all consistent, but ones method or claim is contradictory,

that method or claim must be abandoned. If ones method implies that a straight line

changes directions, it must be abandoned. Among the rules mentioned by the scholars is:

] ]Whatever leads to an impossibility is itself impossible.

#10) Southeast Supporter: It is invalid for thosemarkers to be used in a way that leads to acontradiction.

Northeast Supporter

I disagree.

SoutheastSupporter: Youhave confirmedthe validity of acontradiction,which is itselfinvalid.

I agree.

SoutheastSupporter: Thenyou haveinvalidated yourown method.


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Here are some mistakes of those who pray towards the northeast:

I. They have abandoned the simple Religious rules, and instead relied onapproximated maps with known (imaginary) markers, such as the equator and the

prime meridian. This is not to say that approximated maps and imaginary markers

are not useful, but they should not be used for determining the Prayer direction.

One should rely on the real signs: the sun, stars, shadows, mountains, and other

signs of Allah and landmarks, as mentioned by the scholars of Fiqh (practical

rules). These references give one the actual directions, and this is what was done

by the Prophet and his Companions. Therefore, whoever prays southeast because

he used the known signs that were used by the Prophet and his Companions is in

compliance with the hadith:

(The People of the Sunnah are) those who are upon what my Companions and I

are upon.

Consequently, anyone who prays northeast while believing that every innovation

is against the Religion has certainly fallen into what he ran away from: an

innovation. Applicable here is the authentic hadith:

Whoever innovates into this affair (i.e. Religion) of ours something that does

not comply with it is rejected.

The method that leads to northeast does not comply with the rules of the Religion,

and hence must be rejected.

II. Among what is said by the northeast supporters is that we must consider thesurface of the Earth and face the northeast, because one does not pray through

the Earth. This is invalid reasoning, for nor does one pray over (the surface of)

the Earth, since the Prayer is not a traveling entity. This is further indication that

those who face northeast have confused the issues of travel and direction.

Whoever understands this difference knows that one does not have to consider the

surface of the Earth or a route of travel for facing the Qiblah. However, if we


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want to entertain this expression of praying through the Earth, people do travel

underground (through the Earth), and the shortest straight line between Makkah

and New York goes through the Earth, not over its surface.

Had the surface or terrain been a factor for the prayer direction, the person in an

underground cavern or in a valley would have a different Qiblah than the person

on the Earths surface, whose Qiblah would be different from the one who prays

on a mountain top, even if the Ka^bah were in the same direction from all of

them. The fact that they all have the same Qiblah proves that the surface has no

consideration:

N.Y.

Mountains between one and the

Ka^bah

Praying atop a mountain

Praying in a valley

Nothing between one

and the Ka^bah

The person on the other side of the Earth also does not consider the surface.


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III. Some may say that the northeast method does ignore the surface and the terrain.This is just ignorance about the method of those who face northeast. They faced

northeast specifically to avoid what they call praying through the Earth. What is

strange is that they refused to pray through the Earth, but they accepted facing

the air above the Ka^bah- as will now come- although they have the same

judgment.

IV. Among what they say is that twice a year, the sun is directly over the Ka^bah. Atthat time, the sun can be seen from Canada in the northeast, and since it is valid to

face the Ka^bah, or the air above it, or the earth below it, then facing the sun

would be facing the air above the Ka^bah, and thus the Qiblah is northeast. To

that there are several responses:

A. One should not face the sun, one should face the Qiblah by finding the actualdirection of the Ka^bah and facing that direction. From the beginning, one is

making a mistake if he is seeking other than the Ka^bah. In other words, even

the one who faces the air above the Ka^bah only faces it because he sought

the Ka^bah itself, but because of being at a higher elevation than that of the

Ka^bah, he faced the air above it. One should not seek the air above the

Ka^bah; one should seek the Ka^bah itself, then face the air above it if he has

to, or the ground below it.

B. Both sides agree that the earth below the Ka^bah is southeast in relation to us.If Makkah were truly northeast of us, which no one is actually claiming- not

even those who face the northeast- then the earth below the Ka^bah would

have to be northeast also. If the earth below the Ka^bah is southeast, then the

air above it would not be northeast.

C. All the other signs that Allah created prove that Makkah is southeast of us,like the North Star. Two definitive references would not contradict each other

in one issue. If they do, then one of them is not definitive, or both of them are

not. Therefore, if on every night and from every location in the USA and

Canada, the north star gives the reading that Makkah is south of us- and the

north star is the strongest sign for determining the Qiblah because it is


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practically stationary- then no consideration is given to an anomaly that

appears only twice per year at a certain hour and seen in only a few locations.

D. Although the shape of the Earth and its terrain do not influence the directionbetween us and the Ka^bah, ones physical position does influence his view

and perception. It is known that the one who looks at something from an angle

may perceive it in a way that does not comply with reality.

V. Among what they say is that it is an obligation to follow the majority, and themajority of Muslims in the United States and Canada face the northeast. The

answer to this is that the obligation of following the majority refers to the majority

of the Muslim nation, not the majority of the Muslims in a particular land. Had

what they understood from this case been true, then whoever goes to Iran would

have to be a Shiite. Also, had this been a true concern for them, they would have

argued that point before anyone prayed northeast. Additionally, any Wahhabiyy

who prays northeast and claims that northeast is the position of the majority has

abandoned his own Wahhabiyy madhhab, because they believe that the majority

of the nation is innovators and idol worshippers.

VI. Among what they say is that rejecting the method that calls for northeast is a callto ignorance, since it is an abandonment of technology, and Islam calls to

knowledge, not ignorance. To that, simply say that technology has its proper

place, and if the use of technology leads to what conflicts with the original rules

of the Religion, then the technology has no place there. The Religious rules

practiced by the Prophet and his Companions have priority over all technology

and calculations. This is also the argument of those who prefer to calculate the

beginning of Ramadan instead of observing the moon.

VII. After having all of their points pulled from under their feet, many who praynortheast would say, Well, it is permissible to pray in any direction. This also is

not true, and had they believed it, they would not have debated to say that

northeast is correct and that southeast is wrong. As for the verse:


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4,which some think that it means that the Qiblah is valid in any direction, Imam As-

Siyutiyy said in Al-Itqan5: Had we been left with only the apparent meaning of

the expression, it would have dictated that it is not obligatory on the one who

prays to face the Qiblah, whether traveling or residing, which is against the

consensus. However, ifthe reason for the verses revelation is known, it would be

known that the verse was about praying an optional prayer while traveling...

AND ALLAH KNOWS BEST.

4 Al-Baqarah,1155 Al-Itqan fi ^Ulumil-Quran, Knowing the Reason for the Revelation, pg. 39

Documents

The Poor Man's Evidence Against Those Who Direct Themselves in the Prayer Like Travelers