Tawaf Direction & The Movement Of The Universe

The Arabic word Tawaf linguistically means going around a fixed core. The whole universe – from the smallest atoms up to the largest galaxies – are all obedient servants of Allah, Who has created and managed them. The worship of matter in general is a kind of movement; that is to say, every atom in the universe has a special system of movement and has its own orbit. The electrons in the atom go around a core called the nucleus, in a tiny planetary-like system. The planets also revolve around the sun, each in a separate orbit, with a specific speed.

In the same way, the Holy Ka’bah, which Allah Almighty has made the first sanctuary appointed for mankind on earth, is located in the center of the earth, as proved by modern astronomical research. It is like the heart in the body. Allah Almighty connected the Muslims’ worship with that Holy place; hence, He obligated them to go to the Ka’bah for Haj, and Tawaf is, thus, one of the most important rituals of Haj.

The direction in which Muslims go around the Ka’bah during Tawaf agrees with the prevailing movement in the universe around a fixed axis. A pilgrim starts Tawaf from the Black Stone; he keeps the Ka’bah to his left and goes around it till he reaches the Black Stone again and starts another round and so on. This establishes a relation between a believer’s heart and the Ka’bah, the heart of the earth, and, thus, he draws closer to Allah (the Creator of the Ka’bah), senses true love for Allah, and enjoys His company.