Why Muslims Face Mecca While Praying

Back about the year 600 there were still many tribes on this earth that were just barely out of the stone age. Some were indigenous to a certain area but many were nomads, endlessly wandering. Even what is now the United States had many such tribes. Still today, two large tribes regularly wander the desert in the Middle East and even enter Israel at will, but they probably have little to do with this topic.

Anyway, previous to 600, some of these desert people revered many of what the Hebrew Bible today calls the “gods of other lands” because nearly all they knew they learned from the ancient Sumerians living in what we today call Iraq. Some also revered one or two of the gods of ancient Egypt, but that wasn’t quite as prevalent.

For instance, one of those “gods from other lands,” Nannar (Sin), was very revered as a benevolent god in ancient Summer and is still today venerated by some Muslim sects. Even today, the symbol of Nannar, the crescent moon, can still be see all over that part of the world.

One object certain people of the desert venerated around 600 is still a sacred object today for many millions of people: a black rock, which is actually a meteorite.

Mecca is said to be the center of the world for Islam. All Muslims are said to face Mecca while praying. Actually, though, their primary area of interest is a 60’ x 60’ black building located on the grounds of a large mosque in Mecca called the Kaaba.

Inside the Kabba can be found their primary religious artifact of interest: a black stone framed in silver. The same black stone, it is said, that the indigenous residents of the area worshiped long before Muhammad was born.

As the story goes, there once were many venerated statues and whatnot, along with the black stone. Muhammad, however, ordered all of that stuff removed but allowed the black stone to stay. Today, the black stone is located on the eastern corner of the Kaaba and the photograph shows how it is encased in a silver band. We can also view rare pictures of the inside of the Kaaba.

You can see and read more about it here, towards the bottom of the page is a bit of what they say is the history of the black stone and the Kaaba. You decide on the veracity of what you read. I’ll not comment, except to say that the information is both interesting and enlightening.

Suffice to say that Muslims face Mecca to pray because that is where the Kaaba is. And, the object of interest in the Kaaba is the venerated black stone, a meteorite.

Lest anyone think that I am somehow debasing Islam with this information, that is not true at all. One can respectfully describe what is true and many Muslim publications say the same things, albeit with a better explanation.

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