RIYADH — "Seven Days in Space" opens a window on the experiences of five astronauts and their spaceship Discovery in 1985. But it is the author, whose writing is detailed and captivating, who relates his experiences and discoveries on a space voyage that shaped him into a humane leader. Prince Sultan Bin Salman, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Space Commission and the author, recollects that the time of his journey into space was during Ramadan, and reveals that this period also enhanced his closeness with the Almighty. As he along with the other astronauts were launched into space, Prince Sultan reveals the happiness in creating history as the first Arab and Muslim astronaut in space was dwarfed by the feeling of fulfillment on performing prayers, fasting, and reciting the Qur'an aboard the mission. For the first time aboard a space mission, Prince Sultan wrote that he performed prayers and fasted 36 years ago. This he reveals in his book: "Seven Days in Space," in which he captures the tiniest of details. Highlighting memories from a space mission in Ramadan, Prince Sultan recalls how he abided by fasting and praying in space, and recalls an emotional moment when he told his father, King Salman, that he had recited the entire Holy Qur'an aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. In Saudi Arabia, the holy month of Ramadan is a great reminder of the historic space mission of Prince Sultan Bin Salman, who was an active member of NASA's Space Shuttle Discovery mission in 1985. It was also the first time in history when a human performed the Muslim prayers, kept the obligatory fasting during Ramadan and recited the whole Qur'an in space. Normally, during Ramadan Muslims fast between dawn and sunset, pray at night and recite the Qur'an frequently during the month. People were curious to know, how it felt to fast on a space mission in such different circumstances? And how did it feel to pray and recite the Qur'an? That's what the book answers to the full. Prince Sultan reveals his feelings while performing prayers, fasting, and reciting the Qur'an aboard the shuttle Discovery, and how he drew strength from Almighty Allah in the exceptional circumstances. This year's Ramadan too comes under the shadow of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has seen home quarantine precautions imposed on all, which has made praying at mosques impossible, including daily prayers, Friday prayer and Ramadan-specific Taraweeh, an additional ritual performed following night (Isha) prayer. And people should take a leaf out of this book, which provides a reminder to the faithful that Allah shows the way even during extraordinary situations and alleviates all issues. In the book, Prince Sultan says he performed all rituals, thanks to the blessings of Allah, on the first day of the mission — that was Ramadan 29. Before the mission, the prince was advised by the then Grand Mufti (Supreme Imam) of Saudi Arabia Sheikh Abdulaziz Bin Baz that he is exempt from fasting temporarily, but on his return from space he had to make up the days he missed fasting. The prince chose otherwise, preferring to fast aboard the mission and to continue his commitment to fasting during the days of training and preparations that preceded the mission at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA officials too had advised Prince Sultan, during his training period, that they would follow up on his health and the health condition of his alternate (astronaut) Abdul Mohsen Al-Bassam on the first week of training in Ramadan. NASA had told them that they would have to stop fasting if health problems arose during training. However, the training period ended without issues, and Prince Sultan got permission to continue fasting during the flight, he recalls. Prince Sultan states that he was impressed with how Allah, the Almighty, gave him the blessing and the spirit that enabled him to fast the whole month without major suffering or a health issue. He remembers that even on some days, he used to fast without the Suhoor meal that precedes dawn, even though he never ceased to abide by the fasting regimen. Even prayers and recitals of the Qur'an were a regular practice of our day, adds the prince. On the first day of the ‘Discovery' mission, some 387 kilometers into the sky, the prince felt fatigue due to insufficient sleep, change in gravity, and lower levels of body fluids. But he never gave up. "I fasted following the time zone of the state of Florida, from which the shuttle was launched into space. The last thing I did before the launch was pray at dawn, and invoked Allah to bless all my loved ones, entire Muslims and my fellows on the mission. "I invoked Allah to bestow success on us all in this challenging mission, so that we honor the confidence of everyone who trusted us. The dawn prayer made me comfortable and optimistic," says the prince. In space, the prince used to perform prayers within the shuttle. "You have to fix your feet inside a special fastener to stand firm inside the shuttle, because gravity is zero," said Prince Sultan. "But full prostration (sujood) was impossible, only a partial one was possible. At this ambience, prostration causes dizziness," he added. On recitation of the Qur'an, Prince Sultan says before heading to the shuttle for the launch, he kept a tiny Qur'an in his pocket to use it regularly during mission. "Allah gave me the blessing to recite the whole Qur'an in five days only. After performing my daily tasks including scientific experimentation, photography and follow-up of the launch of Arabsat, I dedicated a considerable part of my free time to recitation," said the prince, adding that sleeping for six hours was sufficient. The prince reminisced on how he got emotional and shed tears when he told his father, King Salman, in a phone call from space about his excitement on completing the recitation of the whole Qur'an. The prince also had Qur'anic audiotapes with him, which he listened to for comfort and peace before going to bed. Reciting the Qur'an, said the prince, prompts us to contemplate the greatness of the Creator of the Universe and the mystery of our existence and universe. "From time to time, I used to look out of shuttle's window to observe the magnificence of Allah and greatness of his creations."
