Tafsir of Yunus 10:87

"That you settle" (أن تبوءا): The an (أن) is explanatory (mufassirah), because inspiration (wahy) contains the meaning of speech. It is also possible that it is the infinitive an (masdariyyah). To tabawwu' is to take up a maba'ah, meaning a dwelling, just as tawattan (to settle) is to take up a watan (homeland). The majority of reciters verify the hamzah [in tabawwa'a], though some read it as tabawaya (تبويا) for their people in Egypt, turning the hamzah into a ya to lighten the pronunciation.

The verb, according to one opinion, is transitive to one object—it is said, "Zayd took up such and such a place." However, if the lam is prefixed to the subject—as in "a dwelling was taken up for Zayd"—it becomes transitive to two. The verse is interpreted accordingly; liqawmikuma (for your people) is one of the two objects. Another view holds that it remains transitive to one, and liqawmikuma relates to a deleted state (hal) from the word "dwellings," and the lam in both interpretations is not redundant (za’idah). Abu Ali said: It is transitive to two objects on its own, and the lam is redundant, as in the phrase radafa lakum (he followed you). Both fa’ala and tafa’ala can share the same meaning, as in alaqtuha and ta’allaqtuha. The estimation is: "Take up dwellings for your people in which they may dwell or to which they may return for worship."

"Egypt" (مصر): It is diptote (ghayr munsarif) because it is a feminine proper noun. If one were to decline it for lightness, as one declines "Hind," it would be permissible. The prepositional phrase relates to tabawwa’a. It is also permitted that it be a state (hal) from "dwellings," "your people," or the pronoun of the subject in tabawwa’a, though there is weakness in this.

"And make" (واجعلوا): The address is to both [Moses and Aaron] and their people, employing the dominant plural (taghlib) of the addressee over others.

"Your houses" (بيوتكم): The definite article refers to a known context (ahd).

"A prayer direction" (قبلة): Meaning a place of prayer (musalla). It is also said: mosques facing towards the Qiblah, meaning the Kaaba, for Moses (peace be upon him) used to pray towards it. According to both interpretations, Qiblah is a metaphor for the intended place due to the relationship of concomitance or the relationship between the whole and the part. The difference in intent here corresponds to the difference in whether these houses were taken for residence or for prayer. If the former, Qiblah is a metaphor for the prayer place; if the latter, it is a metaphor for mosques.

The interpretation of Qiblah as "mosques facing the Kaaba" is challenged by the fact that it is established in the authentic tradition that the Jews face the Rock and the Christians the sunrise, and it is not famous that Moses (peace be upon him) used to face the Kaaba in his prayer; thus, such an assertion is strange. Stranger still is the claim by al-Ala'i that the Qiblah of all the prophets (peace be upon them) was the Kaaba. It is said that designating the houses as places of prayer is contradicted by the tradition: "The earth has been made for me a mosque and a means of purification," implying that previous nations only prayed in their synagogues. The answer to this is that this applies when they are not compelled; when they are compelled, it is permissible for them to pray in their houses, just as the prayer of fear was permitted for us. Pharaoh—may Allah curse him—destroyed their mosques and prevented them from praying, so He inspired them to pray in their houses, as has been narrated from Ibn Abbas and Ibn Jubayr.

It may be said that there is no contradiction at all, based on the fact that the intent was to designate specific houses for prayer because prayer elsewhere was not valid; thus, their status at that time was like the status of synagogues today. What is a specific characteristic [of this nation] is the validity of prayer in any place on earth and the lack of a designated location for it. Therefore, there is no need to suggest that the "making of the entire earth a mosque" is a special characteristic in light of the Law of Moses (peace be upon him), where prayer was restricted to synagogues and not permitted just anywhere the worshipper desired. As for the Jews facing the Rock, it is well-known that this was in Jerusalem. After the descent of the Torah, they faced the Ark, which was placed in the Tabernacle of Moses (peace be upon him). It is said that facing Jerusalem was also to face the Ark, which they placed upon the Rock, so facing it was facing the Rock. As for their facing [a direction] in Egypt, it is possible it was the Kaaba, as narrated from al-Hasan. What is in the tradition [regarding facing the Rock] is attributed to the later stages of their condition, though other possibilities exist. Allah knows the truth.

It is also said: The meaning of Qiblah is "facing one another." Ibn Abi Hatim narrated this from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), meaning: "Make your houses face one another."

"And establish the prayer" (وأقيموا الصلاة): It is said that they were commanded to do this so that the disbelievers would not overcome them and harm them or tempt them away from their religion. This is built upon the assumption that "houses" refers to residences; if it refers to mosques, this does not hold, as is obvious. Perhaps the instruction is that they were commanded to pray to seek help through its blessing for their objective, as the Almighty said: "And seek help through patience and prayer," and prayer in mosques is superior, thus more hopeful for benefit.

"And give glad tidings to the believers": With the attainment of their objective. It is said: with victory in this world, in response to their supplication, and Paradise in the Hereafter. The pronoun was dual at first because the settling of the people and the taking of temples is a matter managed by the leaders of the people through consultation. Then, it became plural because making houses into mosques and praying in them is an action performed by everyone. Furthermore, including Moses and Aaron (peace be upon them) with the people in the two aforementioned matters is an encouragement for them to comply. Then, it became singular because bringing glad tidings to the nation is the duty of the bearer of the Law, which is more powerful, more influential, and more effective upon the soul. He placed "the believers" in place of "the people" to praise them for their faith and to signal that faith is the pivot upon which the glad tidings turn.