"According to Islam, traveling to space is encouraged."
January 28, 2015 11:25 AM   Subscribe

 
Beyond a certain point it pretty much becomes free-form, go nuts.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 11:28 AM on January 28, 2015 [1 favorite]


THE FUTURE IS HERE.
posted by Going To Maine at 11:28 AM on January 28, 2015


3. Determining the Direction of Qibla Qibla direction is based on what is possible, prioritizing as below:

i. The Ka’aba
ii. The projection of Ka’aba
iii. The Earth
iv. Wherever


I always love it when religious guidelines collide with the practical.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 11:29 AM on January 28, 2015 [11 favorites]


Wired article on this, with the money quote from Khaleel Mohammed, assistant professor of religion at San Diego State University:
In space, the ritual prayer might be offset for more of a prayer that is allowed when on jihad ... for the lack of gravity and directional accuracy makes it legitimate to do as one sees fit. God does not take a person to task for that which is beyond his/her ability to work with.
posted by Etrigan at 11:35 AM on January 28, 2015 [6 favorites]


Related (ish)-
Shabbat in Space.
When does one pray when there is no day?
posted by Mchelly at 11:36 AM on January 28, 2015 [1 favorite]


Lots of sense and accommodations to bring ritual practice to where it has never been before. And yet, an ancient aspects remains that still mandates that half of the world's population is less-than:

"4.2 Dress code
A Muslim astronaut need to cover his aurat, where:
a. Aurat for male is from the navel to the knee.
b. Aurat for female is the entire body except for her face and hands below the wrist."
posted by andreaazure at 11:41 AM on January 28, 2015 [4 favorites]


"Buried in space" certainly has got to be the most interesting phrase I've encountered today.

Also, this has got to be one of the most straightforward expressions of "Our religious texts were written in a very different era. Try to preserve our traditions where possible, but don't go crazy taking things literally." Religious leaders everywhere would do well to follow this example.
posted by schmod at 11:43 AM on January 28, 2015 [5 favorites]


Back in my early Prodigy days online, I came across an extended discussion on which way you would shake the Lulav (a palm frond traditionally used by Jews on Sukkot) if you were on the USS Enterprise. And that was how I learned that the internet was truly a very special place indeed.
posted by zachlipton at 11:45 AM on January 28, 2015 [16 favorites]


Where would you even build the sukkah? On the holodeck?
posted by poffin boffin at 11:50 AM on January 28, 2015 [5 favorites]


For example, the new King of Saudi Arabia was the first Muslim in Space.

That was Sultan bin Salman, son of the new king, Salman bin Abdullah.
posted by Etrigan at 11:54 AM on January 28, 2015 [2 favorites]


Where would you even build the sukkah? On the holodeck?

Has to be outside. So, strapped to the hull somehow. But with zero gravity taken into account, I wonder whether you could also attach the schach on a side wall and have a closed ceiling (since it only needs to be open to the stars...)?

To me, one of the coolest things about halacha (and apparently shariah) is that these (to me) funny tangents are actually considered serious questions and people are actively thinking about them every time there's a technological advance.
posted by Mchelly at 11:58 AM on January 28, 2015 [2 favorites]


The blog linked in the footer, The Islamic Workplace, appears to have some other interesting resources as well (mostly deeper in the archives it seems), including a link to CAIR's "An Employer‘s Guide to Islamic Religious Practices."
posted by zachlipton at 12:01 PM on January 28, 2015 [1 favorite]


If there is doubt on whether the food served on ISS it is halal or not, it is then permissible to eat the food on the basis of not to starve.

That sounds eminently practical.
Also, I'm surprised to learn that they actually serve food on the ISS. I always assumed that everyone is assigned their own shoebox of toothpaste-type tubes.
posted by sour cream at 12:06 PM on January 28, 2015


Right but the "open to the stars" thing never before pondered a location where human life is possible only under airlock.

fuck it im emailing chabad.org
posted by poffin boffin at 12:07 PM on January 28, 2015 [5 favorites]


But why is another enclosed space outside the ship considered "outside"? Would the sukkah only be reachable via EVA? Does it count if the sukkah itself is then open but the celebrants are enclosed?
posted by poffin boffin at 12:09 PM on January 28, 2015


Where would you even build the sukkah? On the holodeck?

Data defines sukkot and points out that a sukkah must be constructed with its roof open to the sky

Picard gives a ten minute sermon on the right of all sentient beings to freedom of religious practice

Geordi builds it on the outside of the hull. He builds it, airtight, out of wood
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 12:09 PM on January 28, 2015 [9 favorites]


In terms of the direction, I wonder how this will change for extra solar voyages. Orient to galactic center and object below plane of galaxy and pray clockwise? Pray according to the direction of galactic spin? Fuck it, and just pray towards the core?
posted by Slackermagee at 12:13 PM on January 28, 2015


Oh, and speaking of the intersection between science and religion, apparently now the Catholic church believes in science.

To which I can only say: Err, no, actually if you believe in science, then you are doing it totally wrong.
posted by sour cream at 12:15 PM on January 28, 2015 [1 favorite]


It seems that the West has decided to double down on Nixon's (relative) lack of interest in space policy. Who knows, maybe a Muslim interest in Al Qahira is our best shot this time around. They may even get a real-life Frank Chalmers.
posted by IShouldBeStudyingRightNow at 12:17 PM on January 28, 2015 [2 favorites]


To which I can only say: Err, no, actually if you believe in science, then you are doing it totally wrong.

Maybe. But still better than not believing in science.
posted by el io at 12:27 PM on January 28, 2015


Related (ish)-
Shabbat in Space.
When does one pray when there is no day?


The answer, apparently, is "Ideally, one should not travel to outer space".
posted by Pyry at 12:36 PM on January 28, 2015


In terms of the direction, I wonder how this will change for extra solar voyages. Orient to galactic center and object below plane of galaxy and pray clockwise?

This was definitely explored in Sarah Zettel's book Fool's War, but it's been long enough since I read it that I don't remember what solution the characters chose. Definitely the first book I think of when I think about Muslims In Spaaaaace (though I'm sure there are plenty of others and I'd like to read them!)
posted by asperity at 12:41 PM on January 28, 2015 [1 favorite]


There is, almost unbelievably, actually a verse in the Koran about space travel. Both humans are jinn (basically fairies from Arab folklore) are forbidden unless god lets them.
posted by Thing at 12:44 PM on January 28, 2015


Gizmodo did a piece on religion in space that led me to this thread's original document.
posted by cmchap at 12:47 PM on January 28, 2015 [2 favorites]


Geordi builds it on the outside of the hull. He builds it, airtight, out of wood.

That's more Sisko's deal.
posted by BrashTech at 1:05 PM on January 28, 2015


fuck it im emailing chabad.org

Can you also ask about building an eruv out of space junk?
posted by Behemoth at 1:14 PM on January 28, 2015 [4 favorites]


i need to create a brand new email address so my regular one doesn't get added to their mailing list and i can't come up with a clever enough frum space pun.
posted by poffin boffin at 1:19 PM on January 28, 2015 [2 favorites]


what a time to be alive
posted by poffin boffin at 1:20 PM on January 28, 2015 [3 favorites]


Have to ask a different rabbi about that one; Lubavitchers generally don't hold by an eruv.

The eruv in San Francisco has a twitter feed, though.
posted by Mchelly at 1:24 PM on January 28, 2015 [1 favorite]


And let's not forget to interrogate judaism.stackexchange.com.
posted by cthuljew at 1:29 PM on January 28, 2015


This is probably why our people haven't colonized any further than Palm Beach.
posted by dr_dank at 1:31 PM on January 28, 2015


ooh who should i email if i want to fight about whether or not manhattan should be considered a natural eruv?
posted by poffin boffin at 1:34 PM on January 28, 2015 [1 favorite]


Were these guidelines issued for him? Or one of the others?

It was written for Malaysia's first astronaut, who is a devout Muslim. That page also has some interesting stuff on how he navigated Ramadan.
posted by Itaxpica at 1:47 PM on January 28, 2015 [4 favorites]


In case anyone was wondering, the last sentence at the end of that lengthy paragraph about keeping Shabbat in space, "V’tzarich iyun," means "This requires further investigation."

Yep.
posted by ostro at 1:55 PM on January 28, 2015 [1 favorite]


The fastest way to increase U.S. funding for a Mars mission will be to tell Congress that a Muslim nation's space program will land someone there first.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 3:38 PM on January 28, 2015 [1 favorite]


Isn't the guy currently in charge of nasa spending a creationist? He probably thinks Mars is a fixed point on the celestial firmament.
posted by poffin boffin at 3:59 PM on January 28, 2015


Iba what? Iba who?
posted by labanjohnson at 6:56 PM on January 28, 2015


ooh who should i email if i want to fight about whether or not manhattan should be considered a natural eruv?

My husband.

Thanks, I'll be here all week! Try the veal!
(but for serious. He doesn't even count Fire Island and you can stand there and see the river on either side of the street. Guess who wasn't asked back to THAT minyan. No way he's getting to space.)

posted by Mchelly at 7:24 PM on January 28, 2015


funny tangents are actually considered serious questions and people are actively thinking about them every time there's a technological advance.

That reminds me of the Vatican-published Lexicon recentis Latinitatis, a list of Latin neologisms where we learn that the latin for minigolf is "pilamálleus minūtus".
posted by Leon at 2:20 AM on January 29, 2015 [1 favorite]


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