When the Prophet Muhammad was ordained to establish the Salat there were no common focal points as they were facing all over the direction according to where their dwellings were.
They did not have any common direction and each of them faced their own house to do their prayers. They were in the situation as the people of Moses and even the Prophet were recorded to be facing the sky as stated in the Qur’an.
S10:87 We inspired Moses and his brother with this Message:” Provide dwellings for your people in Egypt and make your dwellings into a Qiblah (direction) and establish Salat and give glad tidings to those who believe!”
S2:144 “We have seen you turning your face towards the sky, now We shall turn towards a Qiblah which pleases you. Turn then your face in the direction of the Sacred Mosque and wherever you are turn your faces towards it, and those who were given earlier scriptures, know most surely that this is the Truth from their Lord, and God is not unaware of what they are doing.”
The command to face the Sacred Mosque was formalized and God commanded the Prophet Muhammad with the following verses –
S2:149-150 And from wherever you come, turn your face towards the Sacred Mosque; that is indeed the Truth from your Lord, and God is not unaware of what you are doing. And from wherever you come, turn your face towards the Sacred Mosque, and wherever you will be, turns your faces towards it, so that the people shall have no argument against you, except such that they are wrongdoers, so do not fear them but fear Me, so that I may perfect My Blessing on you and you may be guided.
Those who were obedient to the Prophet follow his example by facing towards the direction of the Sacred Mosque and no more towards their houses.
The rationale of having a common direction
When there is a common direction, it will create into a self-organized, self-disciplined and a systematic arrangement whenever men are called to assemble themselves for prayers. Thus, wherever there is a call to prayer everybody knows how to assemble themselves and the direction to face.
All the mosques around the world will be built towards the direction of the Sacred Mosque in Makkah. There will be no difficulty in synchronizing the rows of believers praying in the mosques as there is already a common direction and it needs only the leader of the prayer or the Imam to say “stay in line!” and everybody will be assembled in perfect straight rows in an orderly manner. This is the case even in the largest mosque like the Sacred Mosque in Makkah, or in other mosques all over the world.
However, more important this common direction to face the Sacred Mosque is a command by God to the believers. Had it not been for God’s instruction to face towards the Sacred Mosque many would have tried to force to face towards the directions of their choices. This will never happen to Muslims because it is clearly stated in the Qur’an that the command is only towards the direction of the Sacred Mosque and there should not be any rivalry whatsoever to upgrade other places to that of the status of the Sacred Mosque in Makkah.
Although some have made religious edict to put the Mosques in Medina and that of Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem as sacred, they could not match it to that of the Sacred Mosque in Makkah. It is located in the one and only blessed area of “Bakkata” in this world where pilgrims perform their duty of pilgrimage to God.
And facing the direction to the Sacred Mosque is not only when performing the prayer, God said whatever you do and wherever you are, you start by facing that direction:
S2:150 So from wherever you start, turn your face in the direction of the Sacred Mosque;’ and wherever you are, turn your face thither: that there is no ground of dispute against you among the people, except those of them that are bent on wickedness; so fear them not, but fear Me; and that I may complete My favors on you, and you may be guided.
The common focal point facing toward the direction of the Sacred Mosque thus gives the sign that God is Infinite, His presence is everywhere. The people in the Western world will be facing towards the east when they pray, while the people of the East will face some where westward, the people of the north will face south and the people of the south will have to face somewhere to the north where the Sacred Mosque is located and this is proof that God is infinite, His presence will be felt everywhere, from the north, or south, or east and west, all belongs to God!
S2:115 To God belongs the East and the West in whatever direction you turn, there is the presence of God. For God is All Pervading, All Knowing.
S50:16 It was We Who created man, and We know what dark suggestions his soul makes to him: for We are nearer to him than his jugular vein.
S7:7 And verily, We shall recount their whole story with knowledge, for We were never absent at any time or place.
Pondering with Saifuddin's index 