Hello
Q. I read in a magazine that Makkah is not only a centre of Muslims but also is the centre of earth itself. But earth has spherical shape, so is it possible for a centre to be on its surface?
Habeeb K; Trivandrum.
Ans. Can you locate the centre of India on its map? I am sure you can, if you are an expert in geography and mathematics. If you are asked to mark the centre of a rectangular hockey field, you will do it easily without calling it impossible. Is not the hockey field, a miniature part of the spherical earth? Why do you mark the centre of the hockey field on its surface when it is a segment of a sphere? The centre of a piece of land, whose longitude and latitude are given, can be ascertained. You mark it on the surface. Similarly, when Makkah is called the navel of the earth, you are required to consider only the surface of the earth rather than computing the centre of the spherical earth. Fanatics
Fundamentalism
There, however, is a problem. Computation of the centre of the surface of a spherical segment is no problem but how can there be a centre of the surface of the whole sphere? I came across this problem more man a decade ago when I was deliberating upon 2:143 of Qur’an, which reads; “Thus we have made you a Wasat Ummah...” Wasat in this verse is taken to mean ‘just’. This is one meaning of the word. Wasat also means ‘central’. With this meaning, the verse will read; “Thus we have made you a central nation...” Immediately it struck upon me that the Ka’a’ba is called the navel of the earth. Even the ancient Vedas of India had declared; Nabha Prathivviya Ilaaspad, which translates as ‘The Lord’s place at the navel of earth. Is this navel, the life-line, at the centre in the true geographical sense also? Then I faced the question. “How can a centre of an spherical surface be fixed? I remembered the Lord of the east and west in Qur’an and started thinking over the concept of east and west of a spherical surface in space which is continuously revolving. Why is it that we always place Japan in the east and America in west, when the earth is revolving? If east and west can be fixed, the centre can also be fixed. Japan is located in east and America in west because we have cut open the globe at a particular longitude and then spread it out in the form of an Atlas. Why was it that the globe was cut open at that particular line and not anywhere else to form a flat map? I could not solve the problem and would be highly obliged if a geography scholar could help me understand it. Anyway, leaving it at that I took a world map, as it is and drew two diagonals to locate the centre. It lay in Arabia but not in Makkah. I was sure that I was overlooking something and then it struck. The earth is revolving on its axis, which is 12 degrees tilted to its perpendicular axis through the two poles. I shifted the diagonals accordingly and lo! The centre of the earth’s surface lies exactly at Makkah.
http://www.islamicvoice.com/may.99/dialogue.htm
I've always thought that fanatics are only present in Islam. However, day after day, I am convinced that fanaticism is growing rapidly in Christianity as in Islam.
Over history, each nation claimed that its holy town is the centre of the earth.
Assyrians claimed that Babylon is the centre of the earth.
Greeks claimed the Olympus at Delphi is the centre of the earth.
Egyptians claimed that Thebes is the centre of the earth.
Chaldeans claimed that their holy house of gods is the centre of the earth.
Hindus claimed that Mount Meru is the centre of the earth.
Jews and Christianity claimed that Israel is the centre of the earth.
Chinese claimed that their empire is the middle kingdom.
etc....
How can someone faith be built on numbers and centre of earth' determination?
Just for historical facts:
Modern Israel has nothing to do with the People of Israel. Modern Israel is just a Zionist state and true Jews are against this state.
If you read Theodor Herzl book, you'll notice that Zionists were looking for Argentina... Failed, they look for Uganda... Failed, they look for Palestine.
Just read History written by Zionists leaders and you'll know how Modern Israel was formed and how real Jews were opposing these Zionist' heresies.
Thx
Alexei