Masjidil Haram, the Qiblah is a symbol of Muslim Unity

Another aspect is the fact that the Qiblah is a sign of the spiritual unity of all Muslims worldwide under the law of one God. In his poem, The Outpourings of the Soul, Dr. Mohammed Iqbal, the Islamic poet-philosopher, wrote:

Under the religion of monotheism, do people unite.
While disunited, glory you cannot gain.
Your Prophet just came to save you from that plight.
To make you one nation, so you do remain.
Your Qiblah is one and the Book you recite,
Without that unity, your efforts are in vain.

The Qiblah is important because it gives us a sense of unity, uniformity and discipline. If there were no Qiblah, we would pray as isolated groups without being connected to one another. The Qiblah gives us a focus; a common sense of purpose; a direction.

One of the verse of Glorious Qur'an states as: "To Allah belong the east and the West: Whithersoever ye turn; there is the presence of Allah." Glorious Qur'an (2:115)

In consideration of the above verse the question that comes to mind is: If Allah (SWT) is present wherever we face, what then is the need to face the Qiblah (during the prayers)?

(The order for) facing the Qiblah is not at all intended to confine the presence of Allah (SWT) in a particular direction. However, since man is a material entity and thus, must necessarily face a direction while offering his prayers, it has been ruled that all should face one particular direction during their prayers.

This is with the objective of realizing unity and harmony amongst the Muslims, and preventing confusion, disorder and scattering amongst them.

Just reflect how scathing and disorderly it would be if each person were to offer his prayers in a different direction and the people were to establish scattered rows (for the prayers)?

Incidentally, the direction that has been stipulated as the Qiblah [the direction towards the Holy Kaabah (Kaaba)] is a region that is not only holy but also one of the most ancient bases of monotheism and so, directing oneself towards it serves to awaken the monotheistic reminiscences (within oneself).