Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — Prayer is a fundamental obligation for Muslim, and this remains unchanged even for astronauts embarking on space missions. However, performing prayers in a zero-gravity environment presents unique challenges compared to practices on Earth.
Hundreds of astronauts have embarked on space missions over the past few decades. As space programs diversify, a small number of those astronauts selected have been Muslim. According to Harvard University’s, since 1961, approximately 500 astronauts have traveled to space. Among them, nine individuals were Muslim.
For Muslim astronauts, space travel presents unique challenges, particularly when it comes to religious practices such as prayer and fasting, which traditionally rely on earthly geography and celestial orbits.
Daily prayers (salat) must be performed facing the Kaaba in Mecca, while fasting during Ramadan is determined by sunrise and sunset concepts that become complex in space, where the sun rises and sets multiple times a day.
How Muslim Astronauts Perform Prayer in Space
To address these challenges, guidelines for Muslim astronauts have been developed, including those issued by Malaysia’s National Fatwa Council. These prayer guidelines were established when Malaysia’s first muslim astronauts, Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, was preparing for his mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2007.
According to Tempo, the Malaysian council convened a group of scholars, scientists, and astronauts to draft a comprehensive guide on religious practices in space, including ablution (wudu) and prayer (salat).
Wudhu
According to Malaysia’s Department of Islamic Development (JAKIM), muslim astronauts must purify themselves before prayer. Since using water for ablution is impractical in microgravity, they are permitted to perform tayammum ora a dry ablution by touching a clean surface, such as the walls or mirrors inside the ISS, to symbolically cleanse their hands and face.
Daily Prayer
Therefore for the daily prayer, the guidelines recommend that astronauts follow a 24-hour schedule for prayer times based on the time zone of their launch location. The National Fatwa Council also ruled that prayers can be shortened (qasr) and combined (jamak) without requiring later compensation (qadha) since astronauts are considered travelers (musafir).
When it comes to prayer direction, facing the Kaaba in Mecca is ideal. However, if this is not possible, astronauts may face Earth in general or any direction feasible in microgravity.
Prayer movements should be performed while standing if possible, but due to the lack of gravity, astronauts can also pray while sitting, lying down, or even using eye movements. If all else fails, they may mentally visualize the prayer sequence.
During his mission, Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, who launched from Kazakhstan, adjusted his prayer schedule to match local time and secured his feet to the spacecraft floor to perform the best possible prostrations.
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Fasting in Space
As for fasting during Ramadan, Muslim astronauts are encouraged to observe it if feasible. However, if fasting becomes impractical, they are permitted to postpone it and make up for the missed days (qadha) upon returning to Earth.
Fasting hours are determined by the time zone of the launch site. For instance, during his mission. In Shukor case, he observed fasting hours based on Kazakhstan’s time zone.
Islamic scholar Mufti Menk, as cited by the Khaleej Times, has stated that Muslim astronauts are not obligated to fast in space since they are classified as travelers, allowing them to defer their fast until they return to Earth.
As more Muslims participate in space exploration, religious scholars and scientists continue to collaborate on ways to adapt Islamic practices to the unique environment of space travel.
(Raidi/Agung)
