Muslims all around the world pray roughly the same way. In fact, they all face the same point, toward the Ka’ba, the Muslim holy shrine in Mecca, which looks like a black cube. It is Islamic lore that Abraham built the Ka’ba with his son Ishmael, and when Muhammad took refuge in Medina, he commanded Muslims to start facing the Ka’ba during salaat. They have done so ever since, whether standing in a circle in the Grand Mosque, which houses the Ka’ba, or in a line halfway around the world. In the West, you might see a zealous Muslim pull out a compass at prayer time to find the exact direction.
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