Islam and Space Travel

This is about Jews in space, who have a simliar obligation
( Jewwwwwwwwssssssss in Spaaaaaaaaaaaace):

.........

C. Shabbat, Festivals and Daily Prayer


These are clearly the thorniest problems related to space travel. There is an old joke about the first Jewish astronaut who returns to earth utterly exhausted. He is asked: "What happened?" He replies: "shaharit, minhah, maariv, shaharit, minhah, maariv!" In other words, a spaceship orbits the earth once every ninety minutes. If each orbit is considered a "day" of twenty four hours, an observant astronaut would spend most of his time praying, and after every six orbits (or nine hours) he would have to observe Shabbat for ninety minutes. As a result, he would not only be exhausted, but have no time to do whatever he was sent to do!


There are five possible answers to this space-time dilemma:


1) In Sivan 5646 (June 1886), Rabbi Simha Halevi Bamberger of Aschaffenburg, Bavaria, was asked by his son Judah how he should observe Shabbat in Norway where it was mostly daylight at that time of year. He concluded that "you should not live there since it raises doubts about prayer, Shabbat and festival observances". I do not believe that this is a proper approach, because if Judaism is a torat hayyim (a way of life), it must face new realities, and space travel and planetary travel will eventually become as common as plane travel is today.


2) Rabbi Levy Yitzhak Halperin, who is quoted in The Sunday Telegraph article, says "that Col. Ramon should be relieved of his obligations because he will not be experiencing Earth time". I disagree. According to that logic, if a Jewish astronaut travels to Mars or the stars, he should stop observing Shabbat, festivals and daily prayer for five-ten years!


Indeed, "there is nothing new under the sun". In 1934, Rabbi Yosef Mashash of Meknes, Morocco expressed opposition to Rabbi Halperin's point of view. He was asked about an observant Jew who wanted to travel to "inner America" (South America?) where a day can last three months or more. What should he do about Shabbat and festivals? Someone showed him a handwritten responsum by a rabbi who said that one is not required to observe Shabbat in such places because the Torah ties Shabbat to "days", as it is written (Exodus 34:21) "Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall cease from labor". "Days" have 24 hours, and since there are no such "days" there, there is no Shabbat. Rabbi Mashash reacted:



In my humble opinion, it is difficult to listen to this. If so, he will not have to observe all of the festivals, and he may eat hametz on Pesah, and eat on Yom Kippur because they are all called "day" or "days"; and any Jew who goes there can change his religion, good for bad, and it is a disgrace to even think about this!



I agree with Rabbi Mashash. A Jew in space must observe Shabbat and festivals just as a Jew near the North or South Pole must observe Shabbat and festivals.


3) R. David Hayyim Sheloosh of Natanya says that a Jewish astronaut should count each orbit as a day and observe Shabbat every nine hours for ninety minutes. But festivals should be observed following the calendar of the earth since Jewish holidays follow the moon, and "moon days" are the same in space. On the other hand, he should pray the three daily services during every ninety-minute orbit.


One of the classic codes of Jewish law is the Arba'ah Turim or four columns, written by Rabbi Ya'akov ben Asher in the fourteenth century. There is an old Jewish proverb that a posek (halakhic authority) must also employ a fifth Tur: common sense. This suggestion does not fit that criterion. It is true that the Hassidim Rishonim (early pious ones) are described as having spent nine hours of every day in prayer (Berakhot 32b), but the general rule is that "the Torah was not given to the ministering angels" (Berakhot 25b; Kiddushin 54a). An astronaut who prays three times every ninety minutes and observes Shabbat every nine hours will indeed be exhausted, as in the joke above, and unable to perform any of his duties. Furthermore, the purpose of Shabbat is to rest after six 24-hour days of work and not every nine hours!


4) Rabbi Jonathan Romain, quoted in The Sunday Telegraph, says that "he should observe the same routine as you would on earth", but he could be relieved of his Shabbat obligations because of Pikuah Nefesh (permission to desecrate Shabbat in order to save human life). But it is not clear from the article when he should observe Shabbat or pray.


5) I believe that Col. Ramon and future Jewish astronauts should observe Shabbat, festivals and daily prayer according to local time in Houston (or their home base). I say this for three reasons:


Simple logic. All astronauts set their watches by Houston time. Otherwise they would spend all of their time in space changing the time on their watches as Rabbi Sheloosh would require.



Secondly, we have a classic source for dealing with a similar situation. We have learned in Shabbat 69b: "A person lost in the desert who doesn't know when it is Shabbat, counts six days and rests on the seventh". In other words, when you are in a place where normal time divisions don't exist, you arbitrarily adopt a method for observing Shabbat after six 24-hour days.



Finally, we have a clear precedent for Shabbat in space, as already hinted above. Since the eighteenth century, rabbis have discussed how to observe Shabbat in "inner America", Norway, Sweden, Alaska, Iceland and other areas where the sun does not rise or set for months on end. Polar days are unusually long; space days are unusually short - but the general problem is similar.



The rabbis who dealt with this dilemma, can be divided into four groups. The common denominator is that they all agree that you count six "normal" days of roughly 24 hours and the seventh is Shabbat.


Rabbi Jacob Emden (1697-1776) - basing himself on the talmudic passage about the desert - said that a Jew who is near one of the poles and does not know when Shabbat occurs, counts six days of 24 hours and the seventh day is Shabbat. Rabbi Emden is quoted by Sha'arei Teshuvah to Orah Hayyim 344. Rabbi Horowitz and Rabbi Mashash agree with this approach.



Rabbi Israel Lifshitz (1782-1860) says that if you have a watch, which shows the time at your point of origin, you observe Shabbat according to your point of origin. This follows the halakhic principle of following the customs of your point of origin if you intend to return there and if there is no local Jewish community (Rambam, Hilkhot Yom Tov 8:20 and Shulhan Arukh Orah Hayyim 468:4).



Rabbi Menahem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe (1902-1994) says that you should observe Shabbat according to places with the same longitude, but he gives no source for this approach.



Rabbi Solomon Freehof, mentioned above, seems to think that you observe Shabbat according to the custom of the closest Jewish community, but he gives no source for this approach.



There are two modern rabbis who gave similar replies regarding space travel. R. Bezalel Stern says that an astronaut should follow earth time vis-a-vis prayer and Shabbat, though he doesn't site any of the responsa about the poles. Rabbi Solomon Freehof makes a clear comparison between the poles and space travel, ruling according to his own approach to the poles (p. 246):



The answer to this problem [of space travel] must be the same as that which was given to the Soldiers in Iceland during the war (= World War Two)… that they must follow the hours of Boston, Massachusetts and the soldiers in Alaska must follow the hours in Portland, Oregon. After all, the watches in the capsule will keep earth time.



We agree with all of the rabbis who say that when near the Poles or in space, a Jew should observe days of roughly 24 hours. Rabbi Emden's approach is not applicable because he was referring to a case where the traveler does not know the day or the time. The other two approaches have no specific source and are not applicable to space travel. Therefore, we agree with Rabbi Yisrael Lifshitz who says that the explorer - or in our case, the astronaut - should observe Shabbat according to his home base. This approach is based on halakhic sources and makes good sense since the non-Jewish astronauts also set their watches according to their home base. In other words, following R. Israel Lifshitz, a Jewish astronaut should pray, and observe Shabbat and festivals, according to Houston control, which is their home base. Indeed, according to the Jerusalem Post, Col. Ramon has resolved to keep time according to Central Standard Time, so as to be on the same clock as Houston.


We wish him and his fellow astronauts a successful journey: "Barukh atah b'vo'ekha, uvarukh atah b'tzetekha" - "Blessed shall you be in your comings, blessed shall you be in your goings" (Deut. 28:6)!

http://www.schechter.edu/pubs/insight16.htm

and for a second (though much less complete) source on the issue:

http://ohr.edu/ask/ask078.htm

Thank you, Pepito. <sss-sss-sss>

(That was my laugh that sounds like a balloon leaking air. A 4 on the laugh scale, but something.)

WELCOME!!!!

Lash,

Actually, my query was not fully intended as a joke. I thought of it some time ago when I was having a few beers with some Muslim friends and the topic of space travel came up. I asked them these question. Not being Islamic scholars, they just brushed me off because they could not answer. They were not offended as we speak freely and joke about many matters.

i dont understand the importance of this discution but i hope someone is not kiddin on muslims or jewish

OK.


Now, it's a 7.

I saw in a movie that Muslims are banned from going into space altogether... But seriously, the same problem could be said of North and South Pole when it is day/night for like months in a row

yes that's more near the reality, discussin of north and south pole exrcise of religion is more important than space

Okay, let's go for it then. I think we shoudl treat thsi issue seriously. Is it possible that the founders of Islam were just naive about weather conditions i nother parts of the world?

You were drinking alcohol with your Muslim buddies?

Isn't that sort of like going out for ham sandwiches with your Jewish buddies?

I think you can get killed for that.

That and eye contact with a man if you're a woman, uncovering your head outside...if you're a woman..., driving, if you're a woman...

Hope you're not a woman.

Yes, I have drunk alcohol with Muslims. I have also eaten pork with Jews and beef with Muslims. Not everybody is strictly observant. Alcohol is widely available in many Muslim countries. Beef is available in India.

Muslims don't eat pork only. Islam is an abrahamic religion and jews are cousins of the Arabs. It is Hindus that worship cows so they don't eat beef

If some "muslims" do this, it does not mean Islam allow it. In fact, alcohol is dangerous to our health and mind, it causes: Cirrhosis of Liver, Oesophagitis, Gastritis, Cardiomyopathy, Wernicke, Endocrine Disorders, Eczema, Alopecia and many many other diseases...

Islam does not prohibit alcohol for the sake of prohibiting it, but to protect our health and mind.

Best Regards.

u know islam was first born in middle east, and i think talking with those peaple, who dont even believe in god, in the matter of pryng in the moon will seem kinda joke.
the islam is a religion of evolution, the roles to do prier in the pole will appear in their right moment.
and in addition if there are any muslim in the south or north pole it sure will be a role for the matter. it's a very simple thing to find "i think"

You heard the one about the iman and the rabbi in space?

No neither have I but there should be one

I'm reading The Trouble with Islam: A Muslim's Call for Reform in Her Faith by Irshad Manji.

She points out that there are no "priest-rabbi-iman jokes, in part because as pointed out in a commentary on The Koran "While the Muslim is not expected to be dour-faced, an abundance of laughter proves that Muslims have been manipulated by charm and wit which softens character and piety."

Do you wanna know a proof that Satan is doing some tremendous evil Jobs. HE could convince a Gay King to write the Bible, and now is convincing a Lesbian Woman say fallshoods about Islam. Only ignorant people will fall on her trap. If she wants to reform, start from herself because she is just an ugly Lesbian with Evil intentions. May Allah help us with our battle with Satan , InshaAllah.

In the world today there are certain local figures in our communities who do not impliment laws correctly and justly hence the various negative
accounts going on in the world today.

What my problem is with Irshad Manji is that she is using her apprehended knowledge of the world (not Islam) and allocating it with the probnlems of Islam and calls for reformation. She is calling the reformation of how doctrine as well as Fiqh is being
interpreted. However correct she may be on some points I frankly disagree with her premises in saying that Islam needs to be reformed. Islam is complete. What may need reformation is how Islam is conducted by the grand population.

I cannot understand how one individual can use the problems of the world as something "Islamic" because Islam does not condone such behaviors as we have explained in perennial fashion. There are many so-called Muslims who say that they are rationalist and disagree even with the truest points of Islam, this we call people who commit bid'ah or innovation on Islamic principle/practice. I remember a sister I know who told me that another Muslim-refusenik who at Columbia speaking in a forum said "We must evaluate the Qur'an with an open-mind and must interpret doctrine in our own mind."

This may be true in context but in reality (and I shall not contradict my view on this subject) the Qur'an or it laws cannot be interpreted or carried out in its fullest since these (doctrines, laws) came from Divine providence and since these laws are
divine we carry them out to the best of intellectual capacity through the apprehension of these sacred laws. I believe that to understand God is to grasp the basic principles of the Qur'an and Sunnah. More importantly Muslims cannot forget that Allah
does ask us to be rational, just, and kind to those who do not always accept us. Perhaps what this sister saw was another world that became hidden behind Islam and mistook such an illusion as Islam. I have convinced myself that I may read her book after all to uncover her madness.

So a priest, a rabbi and an imam walk into a bar. The bartender looks up, and says, "I'm sorry, this is a singles bar- no sects allowed on the premises."