Hello David and all of you east-west seekers, With Tony Moss's 24 Hr (EoT adjusted) equatorially positioned clock, the hour hand would be in the meridian of the sun only; but due to its declination, the sun would usually pass due east and west before or after the hour hand, depending on the season. This effect is minimized the farther north you live but becomes more pronounced closer to the equator!
Your group of Muslims should be glad that they did not settle on the equator. There the sun aligns DUE EAST & WEST on only two days a year: the spring and autumnal equinoxes! Then, if we limit our definition of east-west to mean a horizontal direction, not counting the time the sun is up overhead, we have only 4 moments of prayer meeting this precise definition each year. This mind game might help them realize just how location specific some exacting literal traditions are and open the door to possible interpretations based on the spirit of the law. Fritz Stumpges -
