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qad narā taqalluba wajhika fī s-samāʾi fa-la-nuwalliyannaka qiblatan tarḍāhā fa-walli wajhaka shaṭra l-masjidi l-ḥarāmi wa-ḥaythu mā kuntum fa-wallū wujūhakum shaṭrahū wa-ʾinna lladhīna ʾūtū l-kitāba la-yaʿlamūna ʾannahu l-ḥaqqu min rabbihim wa-mā llāhu bi-ghāfilin ʿammā yaʿmalūna
We certainly see you turning your face about in the sky. We will surely turn you to a qiblah of your liking: so turn your face towards the Holy Mosque, and wherever you may be, turn your faces towards it! Indeed those who were given the Book surely know that it is the truth from their Lord. And Allah is not oblivious of what they do.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 144
Indeed, We see turning your face (O’ Muhammad) to the heavens, and now We shall turn you (in prayer) to a Qiblah that you shall be pleased with. Turn then your face towards the Sacred Mosque and wherever you are, turn your faces towards it (for prayer) and those who have been given the (earlier) Book know well that it is the truth from their Lord. And Allah is not at all heedless of what they do. (2:144).
Turn Towards the Sacred Mosque
As it was mentioned before, Jerusalem was the first, but temporary, Qiblah of the Muslims. So, as the Prophet (S) was waiting to receive the command from Allah to change the Qiblah, especially after he had migrated to Medina and continued praying towards the same direction, i.e. towards the direction of Jerusalem, the Jews used to very frequently taunt the Muslims at not having a Qiblah of their own and stated that but for the Jews’ faith, the Holy Prophet (S) would not even know the direction towards which, by the direction of Allah, he should turn in prayer.
Owing to the sneers of the Jews he (S) desired a change and Allah granted it to him. In the above verse this subject is referred to when the command of the Qiblah has been issued to the Prophet (S). It says thus:
Indeed We see turning your face (O’ Muhammad) to the heavens and now We shall turn you (in prayer) to a Qiblah that you shall be pleased with. Turn then your face towards the Sacred Mosque and wherever you are, turn your faces towards it (for prayer) ... (2:144)
According to the Islamic traditions, we know that this change of the Qiblah happened in Medina, at a very sensitive moment when the Prophet (S) was praying the noontime prayer. The bringer of Divine revelation took Muhammad’s (S) arm and turned him from the direction of Jerusalem to the direction of the Ka’bah. At the same time Muslims immediately changed their rows, too. It is also said that in that event even the women had to change their place of prayer with the men. (It should be noted that in that occurrence Jerusalem was located approximately towards the North while the direction of the Ka’bah was towards the South.)
It is also noteworthy that the change of the Qiblah had been one of the signs of the Call of the Prophet of Islam (S) written in the former scriptures. The Jews had learnt therein that he (S) would pray towards two directions for his Qiblah. Therefore, in the above verse, after the command of the Qiblah, it adds:
...and those who have been given the (earlier) Book know well that it is the truth from their Lord… (2:144)
The phrase “those who have been given the (earlier) book” means the Jews who through the prophecies in their scriptures2 already knew that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S) was a true prophet, thus: “The Lord, thy God, will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren like unto Me; unto him you shall hearken” Deut. 18/15. “I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put My words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.” Deut. 18/18-19.
Moreover, the Prophet of Islam (S) did not follow the customs of his locale at first, and put aside the Ka’bah which was the center of idols that the Arabs loved very much. He formally accepted the direction of the Qiblah of a limited minority, i.e. Jerusalem. This was, in itself, considered proof of the rightfulness of his invitation and the Divinity of his Call. At the end of the verse, it adds:
…And Allah is not at all heedless of what they do (2:144)
That is, instead of introducing the change of the Qiblah as a sign of his rightfulness, they rejected it and raised a tumult. But Allah is heedless neither of their actions nor of their intentions.
Footnotes