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Muslim leaders advise on faith in space

call to prayer

How do Muslim astronauts answer the call to prayer in space? And what about fasting during Ramadan? A new booklet explains all (Image: iStockphoto)


Malaysia's first astronaut, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, a practicing Muslim, is scheduled for launch later this week on board a Russian Soyuz rocket for an eight-day stay on the International Space Station.

He won't be the first Muslim in orbit. That distinction falls to Prince Sultan bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, a nephew of King Abdullah who flew with a US crew during a 1985 mission on the space shuttle.

Tourists were banned from the shuttle following the Challenger accident a year later.

Shukor is not even the second Muslim to fly in space. Iranian-born entrepreneur Anousheh Ansari, of Plano, Texas, paid about US$20 million for a Soyuz ride and week-long stay on the station last year.

But the 35-year-old orthopaedic physician and part-time model is the first to publicly address practical issues of Islamic practices during spaceflight, and now he has a field guide to help him find his way.

Malaysia's Department of Islamic Development prepared a 12-page booklet on Ibadah, or worship, in space.

The booklet, A Guideline of Performing Ibadah at the International Space Station, addresses such delicate issues as the Ramadan fast, which it advises astronauts postpone until they return to earth, and cleansing rituals, for which it recommends astronauts use a wet towel.

"Islam is very lenient. If I can't fast in space I can always come back and do later," Shukor said during a preflight interview.

On a practical note, the booklet suggests Muslims hunch down if they cannot stand up straight in space, sit if standing is not possible and lie down if sitting is impractical.

It even specifies that in the event of death in orbit, a Muslim's body is to be brought back to earth, or if that is not possible, 'buried' in space after a simple funeral.

Facing Mecca

The guidelines are the result of a workshop Malaysia's National Space Agency held in April 2006 to discuss problems Muslims may encounter in orbit, such as facing the Saudi holy city of Mecca during prayer.

The guidelines advise determining the direction "according to the capability" of the astronaut.

Though Shukor is flying as a tourist, he is not paying the bill. The mission was an add-on to Malaysia's U$1-billion purchase of 18 Russian fighter jets in 2003. The doctor plans to study cancer cells in space.

Shukor will be flying with his commander, US astronaut Dr Peggy Whitson and Russian flight engineer Yuri Malenchenko.

Tags: science-and-technology, astronomy-space