Verse. 157

٢ - ٱلْبَقَرَة

2 - Al-Baqara

وَمِنْ حَيْثُ خَرَجْتَ فَوَلِّ وَجْہَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ۝۰ۭ وَحَيْثُ مَا كُنْتُمْ فَوَلُّوْا وُجُوْھَكُمْ شَطْرَہٗ۝۰ۙ لِئَلَّا يَكُوْنَ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَيْكُمْ حُجَّــۃٌ۝۰ۤۙ اِلَّا الَّذِيْنَ ظَلَمُوْا مِنْہُمْ۝۰ۤ فَلَا تَخْشَوْھُمْ وَاخْشَوْنِيْ۝۰ۤ وَلِاُتِمَّ نِعْمَتِىْ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَہْتَدُوْنَ۝۱۵۰ۙۛ
Wamin haythu kharajta fawalli wajhaka shatra almasjidi alharami wahaythu ma kuntum fawalloo wujoohakum shatrahu lialla yakoona lilnnasi AAalaykum hujjatun illa allatheena thalamoo minhum fala takhshawhum waikhshawnee waliotimma niAAmatee AAalaykum walaAAallakum tahtadoona

English

Ahmed Ali

Whichever place you come from turn towards the Holy Mosque, and wherever you are, turn your faces towards it so that people may have no cause for argument against you, except such among them as are wicked. But do not fear them, fear Me that I may accomplish My favours on you, and you may find the right way perchance.

150

Tafseer

'Abdullāh Ibn 'Abbās / Muḥammad al-Fīrūzabādī

تفسير : (whencesoever thou comest forth) you are to (turn thy face) in prayer (towards the inviolable place of worship; and wheresoever ye may be (o muslims)) on land or at sea (turn your faces) in prayer (towards it (when ye pray) so that men) 'abdullah ibn salam and his companions (may have no argument against you) regarding the changing of the qiblah because in their scripture the inviolable place of worship was the qiblah of abraham; therefore if you pray towards it, they will have no argument against you, (save such of them as do injustice) nor would those who transgressed with their words have any argument against you, and these included ka'b ibn ashraf and the arab idolaters (-fear them not) regarding the changing of the qiblah, (but fear me) in leaving the old qiblah (-so that i may complete my grace upon you) by giving you a qiblah just as i have completed for you your religion, (and that you be guided) to the qiblah of abraham.

Jalāl al-Dīn al-Maḥallī

تفسير : from whatever place you issue, turn your face towards the sacred mosque; and wherever you may be, turn your faces towards it (all of which is being repeated for emphasis), so that there be not any argument from the people, the jews or the idolaters, against you, [so that there be not] any cause for contention regarding the change to a different direction of prayer. in this way, their contentions against you will cease to exist, both [the contentions] of the jews when they say, ‘he [muhammad (s)] rejects our religion, but follows our direction of prayer’, and of the idolaters when they say, ‘he [muhammad (s)] claims to follow the creed of abraham, but he contravenes his [abraham’s] qibla’; excepting the evildoers among them, acting in obstinacy, who will say, ‘he [muhammad (s)] only changed to this direction because of his [natural] inclination towards the [idolatrous] religion of his forefathers’. the exceptive statement [indicated by illā] is a continuous one, the meaning being: ‘no one will have anything to say against you, except for what these people say’; and do not fear them, do not fear their arguing [with you] regarding the change to it [the ka‘ba], but fear me, by complying with my command; and that i may perfect my grace upon you, by guiding you to the principal rituals of your religion, and that you may be guided, to the truth (wa-li-utimma, ‘that i may perfect’, is a supplement to li-allā yakūna, ‘that there be not’).