Mashallah Ali-Ahyaie
The sacred direction observed in different religions is an interesting subject of scientific research. This is where religion and science might meet. Because Muslims face the holy Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in their prayers, all mosques are oriented toward the sacred direction, which in Arabic is the Qiblah. Jews praying in their synagogues face the Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall, in the city of al Quds (which is the Arabic name for Jerusalem). Jews, Christians, and Muslims consider this city a holy place because it contains sites sacred to all three religions. Cathedrals traditionally face the east, since east is a sacred direction in Christianity.All religions have one doctrine in common, namely, that man should be good. The major religions of the world also have other common practices. Followers of the Abrahamic religions (Jews, Christian, and Muslims), for example, all pray in a sacred direction. Is there any place on our planet, where the followers of the Abrahamic religions might pray together, facing the same direction, for peace and the eradication of poverty, selfishness, wars, and ignorance? The answer is yes, and the place is determined in this book. At the first glance, one may simply say that there shouldn’t be much complexity in the subject of the sacred directions, but when looking at that pearl of the monuments, the Taj Mahal, and locating the Qiblah therein, one can experience how the science can be part of religion. This book was written to promote dialogue and better understanding among Muslims, Christians, and Jews.
