DISClAIMER: This is a purely academic/research based article and is not meant to voice any opinion or offend any individual or group

By the end of this decade, both the United States through NASA as well as the People’s Republic of China are expected to establish permanent human settlements on the moon. As humanity’s population grows, it becomes increasingly clear that Earth can no longer be the only refuge for humanity among the stars. causing many to raise a question - How will we, and our beliefs and traditions, adapt to life in space?

One such belief that faces this challenge is Islam, the main religion that will be discussed in this article. Muslims observe many rules and practices which may be challenging to perform in an extraterrestrial environment. One such practices would be the Hajj, a pilgrimage to the city of Mecca, with “every able-bodied adult Muslim who can afford to do so [being] obligated to make Hajj at least once in their lifetime.” (Parker & Gaines, 2024). Muslims inhabiting extraterrestrial bodies may find it very difficult or even impossible to perform the Hajj, as the vast distances between their homeworlds and Earth may mean that a journey would take months, if not years.

However, before we can discuss how Islam and other religions can be adapted to extraterrestrial living, it may be useful to firstly visualise and pinpoint what space colonization and life may look like (Feel free to skip this paragraph if you would like to get straight to the main topic). For this article, we will focus only on the colonisation of our solar system, as the advent of interstellar travel and thus colonization will require extremely advanced technology that, at an optimistic estimate, is at approximately 500 or so years away and thus much harder to predict (Pester, 2023). Due to this, this article will focus on a timeframe of roughly two or three centuries in the future, when humanity and our culture would still be similar to how it is today and thus easier to work with. Regarding the living aspect, space colonies at this timeframe would most likely be concentrated around the Moon, Mars, Venus, the Asteroid belt, the Jovian moons, and possibly some of the dwarf planets such as Pluto and Eris due to factors such as their distance, resources, and habitability. (AtlantanKnight, 2017). Life on these bodies would differ greatly due to their differing environments as well as different incentives behind their inhabitation. 

Assuming that future technological projects begin to relocate humanity to other planets by said timeframe, changes to religious ritual will aim at maximizing the efficacy and effectiveness of such acclimatization. Due to differences in the frames and time differences on other planets, traditional, religious practices based on local Earth times are significantly influenced by planet, orbits and rotations, making it completely impractical to remain original settings (New Space Economy, 2025). New local time scales will be based on religious conduct i.e. fasting, and common standards for future interplanetary data will be created. The following are potential/hypothetical solutions

Synchronisation of timely traditions is made difficult; hence the need for re-evaluation of religious groups' interpretive traditions and beliefs under uncustomary temporal situations.

1. Praying in any direction or symbolic objects (praying specific): This flexible method, instead of praying in a specific geographical location (i.e. in the direction of Mecca or Jerusalem), accounts for the obstructive nature of astronomic landmasses and microgravity settings. The ease of participation without regard for direction increases ease of practice (New Space Economy, 2025). Therefore, enabling multi-faith prayers among plural religious communities eliminates the rigid geographical arrangements, promoting dialogue and cooperation among plural faiths. However, this approach that functions without turning to a specific direction lacks submission to God and the initial traditional means of unification. Without pre-set commands, meanings within believers are highly diverse and likely not completely universal within the total population, therefore watering down religious meaning and subjectivity-causing confusion for the religious electorates. (ASU, N.D.)

2. New creation of new sacred locations (praying specific): The creation of new places of sanctity on every colonised world establishes hubs to be accessed for prayer and congregating, akin to the Kaaba, a holy site which all capable Muslims must make a pilgrimage to once in their lifetime. This may be especially useful for colonies on planets further from Earth, as travel times and costs to Earth from said colonies may be too unwieldy for the average person. This retains connections to Earth and solves religious communities-a holding on to cultural identities in an uprooted society and symbolic unification of ideas of belonging (New Space Economy, 2025). Such being the case, resource allocations need not be as pragmatic when it comes to the required profession and high technology of Kaaba directors. Besides, threats of fragmentation within the religion due to cultural and method differences may cause conflicts because of differing perceptions of an action. (J.W.Traphagan, 2020)

3. Local and Mecca time management (any timely practice): On planets that have day lengths similar to that of Earth, such as Mars, following Mecca time, is a feasible strategy. This maintains original rituals and continuity of religious observance, and adaptation is fitting as a practical measure that is sensitive to original religions and new contexts. On the other hand, although the viability of this method is extremely attainable, coordinated practices based on Mecca time across farther distances present communal observance challenges. Thus, this outcomes in discrepancies in timekeeping interpretations among new communities. This results in the development of varied expressionism deviating from traditional norms. (J. Gunderson, N.D.)

Translocation of humans to another planet raises all the questions of belief systems and timely adaptability to question the very foundation of beliefs. In this, most of the traditional practices undergo revolutionary changes influenced by temporal frameworks that test how religion moves in relation to reality in the face of to changing circumstances of a modern world. (R. Ramdeholl, 2023) Space exploration may generate existential reflection upon creation and being with new extraterrestrial realities in extensive landscapes, atmospheres, and relations with extraterrestrial beings. Therefore, it serves as a catalyst for a renaissance of religious tradition in trying to mediate concepts regarding an ancient world for modern-day experiences.

People have asserted that religious people turn to their religion in the case of some life issues which are against the dogma created. But most people believe in the evolution of religion without losing its inherent nature. Whatever findings could be made regarding intelligent extraterrestrial beings will probably introduce an element of complexity to these discussions. For example, theologians such as Ted Peters assume that the future generation of "astro theologians" will question how the conventional religions encompass and react to alien life, thus highlighting inherent elasticity in religious traditions, which are fashioned to seek new understanding and interpretation without the loss of fundamental beliefs. (R.D.Launinus, 2022). Each of the aforementioned solutions to humanity's migration and grand challenges of adaptation in religious practice has its level of complexity, along with differing advantages and disadvantages, as part of balancing tradition and practicality. The final result, therefore, of such adaptations will ultimately shape individualities in faith experience while influencing broader philosophical arguments on belief systems. It is these organisations, observances management, organised in due times either based on the local time or the Mecca time-all enable religious societies to negotiate transitions such as this while retaining central belief in spite of altering cosmic realities. (J.W.Traphagan, 2020)

To conclude, the link between faith, adjustments, and its preservation of core features should be welcomed with open minds, so to speak, by both people and societies. It is the physical exploration of the universe that, more than from psychological and philosophical standpoints, opens up spaces for spiritual idea development and understanding in the search for new realities pursued by humankind.

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