Ruh al-Ma'ani on Al-Baqarah 2:142

Surah Al-Baqarah 2:142

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ﱁ ﱂ ﱃ ﱄ ﱅ ﱆ ﱇ ﱈ ﱉ ﱊ ﱋ ﱌ ﱍ ﱎ ﱏ ﱐ ﱑ ﱒ ﱓ ﱔ ﱕ ﱖ ﱗ ﱘ

The foolish among the people will say, "What has turned them away from their qiblah, which they used to face?" Say, "To Allah belongs the east and the west. He guides whom He wills to a straight path."

(سيقول السفهاء)

Those of light intellect, or those who demean their own intellects through mere imitation and turning away from contemplation. The immediate understanding of this includes all who denied the change of the Qibla, including the hypocrites, the Jews, and the polytheists. It is narrated from al-Suddi that it is limited to the first, from Ibn Abbas that it is limited to the second, and from al-Hasan that it is limited to the third. Perhaps the intent is to specify a group in whose regard this verse was revealed, not to restrict the verse to them, for the collective noun is definite with the alif-lam, which denotes universality; thus, it encompasses all of them. There is no reason to specify only some.

The foretelling of this speech before its occurrence is to prepare the soul, for the surprise of an unpleasant event is more painful, and knowing it before it happens renders one less disturbed. Furthermore, it contains the preparation of the response, and a response prepared before the need for it is more decisive against the opponent. As the proverb goes: "The arrow is feathered before it is shot." It is also so that the occurrence after the foretelling might be a miracle for the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. It is said: The reason for the precedence is instruction and an alert that this statement is a product of foolishness, so one should not heed it or be pained by it. The objection to this is that the mentioned instruction and alert occur by merely mentioning the question and answer, even after the event.

Al-Qaffal said: The verse was revealed after the change of the Qibla, and the wording "will say" (sayaqulu) is intended to denote the past. This is like a man who, when performing a deed and being slandered by some of his enemies, says: "I know they will slander me," as if he means that if it is mentioned once, they will mention it again. This is supported by what al-Bukhari narrated from al-Bara', may Allah be pleased with him, who said: "When the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came to Medina, he prayed towards Jerusalem for sixteen or seventeen months. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, loved to face the Kaaba, so Allah the Exalted revealed: 'We have certainly seen the turning of your face [to the sky]' to the end of the verse. Then he said: 'The foolish people'—they being the Jews—'What has turned them away from their Qibla'..." The relation of this verse to the preceding one is that the former was an attack on the foundations, while this is regarding a matter pertaining to the branches. It was not connected with a conjunction ('atf) to draw attention to the fact that each is independent in its ignominy.

(من الناس) In the accusative case as a circumstantial qualifier (hal). The intent is the species; the benefit of mentioning it is to alert to the completeness of their foolishness in comparison to humanity. It is said: It refers to the disbelievers, and the benefit is to clarify that this recounted statement did not originate from every single individual of those groups, but rather from their wretches who are accustomed to wading into the swamp of corruption. The first interpretation is more appropriate, as is not hidden.

(ما ولاهم) Meaning: What has turned them away? Its root is al-wali, which is the occurrence of the second after the first without separation. The interrogation is for the purpose of denunciation.

(عن قبلتهم) Meaning: Jerusalem. It is a noun pattern (fi'la) denoting the object of orientation, similar to wijha from wajaha. Its origin is the state upon which the one facing was, yet in common convention, it is a name for the facing place towards which one directs oneself for prayer.

(التي كانوا عليها) Meaning: Upon facing it. The relative pronoun is an adjective for the Qibla. Describing it as such after attributing it to the pronoun of the Muslims is an emphasis of the denunciation. The pivot of this denunciation, regarding the Jews, is their claim that abrogation is impossible and their hatred for the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, differing from them in the Qibla—to the extent that they said to him: "Return to our Qibla, and we will follow you and believe in you." Perhaps they intended by that only to tempt him, peace be upon him. Regarding the Arab polytheists, the intent was to attack the religion and show that both facing it and turning away from it were done without justification—to the extent that they used to say: "He turned away from the Qibla of his ancestors, then he returned to it, and he shall certainly return to their religion as well." Regarding the hypocrites, it varies according to their foundations, for among them are Jews and others.

People have differed regarding the duration of his stay, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, facing Jerusalem. In al-Bukhari's narration, it is as I have mentioned. In a narration by Malik bin Anas, it is nine or ten months. From Mu'adh, it is thirteen months. From al-Sadiq, it is seven months. Whether he faced any other [Qibla] before that in Mecca or not, there are two opinions, the most famous of which is the latter; it is also narrated from al-Sadiq, may Allah be pleased with him.

(قل لله المشرق والمغرب) Meaning: All places and directions belong to Him, the Exalted. They are equal in relation to Him, the Majestic, and none of them is exclusive to Him. The criterion is solely the fulfillment of His command; therefore, He has the right to obligate His servants to face whatever place and direction He wills.

(يهدي من يشاء إلى صراط مستقيم) Meaning: A straight path, which is what wisdom dictates: facing Jerusalem at one time and the Kaaba at another. This sentence is a substitution of inclusion (badal al-ishtimal) for what preceded it, and it is an indication of what makes the turning of the direction correct. This [verse] indicates what makes it preferable, as if it were said: This mentioned turning of the Qibla has a guidance with which Allah, the Exalted, singles out whom He wills and chooses from among His servants, and He has singled us out for it, so to Him is the praise.

Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:142

Ruh al-Ma'ani

(سيقول السفهاء)

(ما ولاهم) Meaning: What has turned them away? Its root is *al-wali*, which is the occurrence of the second after the first without separation. The interrogation is for the purpose of denunciation.

(ما ولاهم) Meaning: What has turned them away? Its root is al-wali, which is the occurrence of the second after the first without separation. The interrogation is for the purpose of denunciation.