Tafsir Ibn Abbas: Al-Baqara, Ayah 142
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Other Scholars on This Ayah
Tafsir
The fools the ignorant among the people that is the Jews and the idolaters will say ‘What matter has turned them the Prophet s and the believers from the direction they were facing in their prayers formerly?’ this being the Holy House bayt al-maqdis sc. Jerusalem; the sīn of sa-yaqūlu ‘they will say’ denotes the future tense and informs of the Unseen. Say ‘To God belong the East and the West that is all directions. Thus He commands that they face whichever direction He wills and there can be no objection. He guides whomever He will His guidance being to a straight path’ that is the religion of Islam and you are among these guided ones.
Related Hadiths
"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would perform voluntary Salat upon his mount facing whichever direction he was headed, while he was coming from Makkah to Al-Madinah." Then Ibn 'Umar recited: To Allah belo...
Allah's Messenger said: "What is between the east and the west is Qiblah."
Allah's Messenger said: "What is between the east and the west is Qiblah."
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) prayed facing Baitul-Maqdis for sixteen or seventeen months but he loved to face the Ka`ba (at Mecca) so Allah revealed: "Verily, We have seen the turning of your face to the he...
from his father who said: "We were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on a journey on a very dark night and we did not know where the Qiblah was. So each man among us prayed in his own direction. In the ...
" So whether you turn thither is Allah's face" (ii. 115).
"We were with the Prophet on a journey on a very dark night and we did not know the direction of the Qiblah. So each man among us prayed in his own direction. In the morning when we mentioned that to ...
While some people were at Quba (offering) morning prayer, a man came to them and said, "Last night Qur'anic Verses have been revealed whereby the Prophet (ﷺ) has been ordered to face the Ka`ba (at M...
" Whether you turn thither is Allah's face," and it was revealed in this context.
"The Messenger of Allah forbade the person who went to the Gha'it to face the Qiblah. He said: 'face towards the east or the west.'"
Ibn Abbas Commentary
(The foolish of the people) the ignorant among the Jews and Arab idolaters (will say: What hath turned them) made them change (from the Qiblah which they formerly observed) except that they want to revert to the religion of their ancestors; it is also said that this means: there was no reason to turn from the direction in which they prayed, i.e. Jerusalem? (Say) O Muhammad! (unto Allah belong the East) praying to the Ka'bah (and the West) the prayer that you prayed in the direction of Jerusalem-both are with Allah's command. (He guideth whom He will unto a straight path) He confirms whom He wills on a straight Religion and direction of prayer.