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why do the Muslims bow down to the Ka'aba in Their Prayer


why do the Muslims bow down to the Ka'aba in Their Prayer? When Islam is against idol worship why do the Muslims bow down to the Ka'abah in Their Prayer Kabah is the cubical structure in the city of Mecca, which Muslims face at the time of their prayers. Ka'abah is the Qiblah i.e. the direction Muslims face during their prayers. It is important to note that though Muslims face the Ka'abah during prayers, they do not worship the Ka'abah. Muslims worship and bow to none but Allah. It is mentioned in Surah Baqarah: "We see the turning of thy face (for guidance) to the heavens: now shall We turn thee to a Qiblah that shall please thee. Turn then thy face in the direction of the Sacred Mosque: wherever ye are, turn your faces in that direction." [Al-Qur'ân 2:144] 1. Islam believes in fostering unity For instance, if Muslims want to offer Salaah (Prayer), it is possible that some may wish to face north, while some may wish to face south. In order to unite Muslims in their worship of the One True God, Muslims, wherever they may be, are asked to face in only one direction i.e. towards the Ka'abah. If some Muslims live towards the west of the Ka'abah they face the east. Similarly if they live towards the east of the Ka'abah they face the west. 2. Ka'abah is at the Center of the World Map The Muslims were the first people to draw the map of the world. They drew the map with the south facing upwards and north downwards. The Kaaba was at the center. Later, western cartographers drew the map upside down with the north facing upwards and south downwards. Yet, Alhamdullilah the Ka'abah is at the center of the world map. 3. Tawaf around Ka'abah for indicating one God When the Muslims go to Masjid-e-Haram in Makkah, they perform tawaf or circumambulation round the Ka'abah. This act symbolizes the belief and worship of One God, since, just as every circle has one centre, so also there is only one Allah (swt) worthy of worship. 4. Hadith of Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) Regarding the black stone, hajr-e-aswad, there is a Hadeeth (tradition), attributed to the illustrious companion of the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh), Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). According to Sahih Bukhari, Volume 2, book of Hajj, chapter 56, H.No. 675. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "I know that you are a stone and can neither benefit nor harm. Had I not seen the Prophet (pbuh) touching (and kissing) you, I would never have touched (and kissed) you". 5. People stood on Ka'abah and gave the adhaan At the time of the Prophet, people even stood on the Ka'abah and gave the ‘adhaan’ or the call to prayer. One may ask those who allege that Muslims worship the Ka'abah; which idol worshipper stands on the idol he worships? 6. Which direction is Kabah? Muslims try to find out which direction the Kabah is, in order to face while performing their prayers. Yet if they were not sure which direction is it then they should pray to the direction where they would suppose to be the correct one. Had they been worshipping Kabah itself, it would be unrealistic that they would be allowed to do their prayers any way even though they are not facing the correct direction of Kabah. But because they worship God and not the Kabah, they are allowed to worship even if they did not know to which direction to turn, because there will always be…God; "It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces towards East or West; but it is righteousness- to believe in God and the Last Day, and…" The Holy Quran (2.177)