And if you brought to those who were given the Scripture every sign, they would not follow your qiblah. Nor will you be a follower of their qiblah. Nor would they be followers of one another's qiblah. So if you were to follow their desires after what has come to you of knowledge, indeed, you would then be among the wrongdoers.
"We have certainly seen the turning of your face..."
"We have seen" (قد نرى): It implies "We often see," denoting frequency, as in the poet’s saying: "I often leave the warrior with his fingertips yellowed [with blood]."
"The turning of your face" (تقلب وجهك): The shifting of your face and the directing of your gaze toward the direction of the sky. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was anticipating that his Lord would turn him toward the Kaaba, because it was the qibla of his forefather Abraham, and it was more inviting for the Arabs to accept faith (as it was their pride, place of visitation, and place of circumambulation), and to distinguish him from the Jews. Thus, he was observing the descent of Gabriel (peace be upon him) and the revelation regarding the change.
"We will surely turn you" (فلنولينك): We will surely grant you and enable you to face it. It is derived from the phrase "I made him a wali (guardian) over it," or "We will surely make you face its direction, rather than the direction of Bayt al-Maqdis."
"You are pleased with" (ترضاها): You love it and incline toward it for the valid purposes you have kept hidden, which align with the will of Allah and His wisdom.
"Toward the Sacred Mosque" (شطر المسجد الحرام): Toward it. It is said: "He traveled with the people toward (shatr) the kings." Ubayy read it as: "Toward (tilqa') the Sacred Mosque."
Historical Context: Al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib reported: "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) arrived in Medina and prayed toward Bayt al-Maqdis for sixteen months, then he was turned toward the Kaaba." It is said this occurred in Rajab, after the sun had passed its zenith, two months before the Battle of Badr. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was in the mosque of Banu Salama and had prayed two rak'ahs of the Dhuhr prayer with his companions when he turned during the prayer and faced the mizab (spout of the Kaaba). He moved the men to the place of the women and the women to the place of the men; thus, the mosque was named "Masjid al-Qiblatayn."
"Toward the Sacred Mosque" (شطر المسجد): It is in the accusative case as an adverb of place (zarf), meaning: "Make the turning of the face toward the Mosque," i.e., in its direction and orientation. This is because facing the exact point of the qibla is a great hardship for those who are far away. Mentioning the "Sacred Mosque" rather than the "Kaaba" is evidence that the obligation is to observe the general direction, not the exact point.
**[Al-Baqarah: 145]**
"So they may know that it is the truth" (ليعلمون أنه الحق): That the change toward the Kaaba is the truth, because it was in the glad tidings of their prophets regarding the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) that he would pray toward two qiblas.
"They follow" (يتبعون): Read with both ya and ta (i.e., yata'bba'un or tatba'un).
"What they followed" (ما تبعوا): The answer to a suppressed oath, which serves as the answer to the conditional clause.
"With every sign" (بكل آية): With every decisive proof that facing the Kaaba is the truth.
"They did not follow your qibla" (ما تبعوا قبلتك): Their failure to follow you is not due to a doubt that you could remove by presenting evidence; rather, it is due to arrogance and stubbornness, despite their knowledge of what is in their books regarding your description—that you are upon the truth.
"And you are not a follower of their qibla" (وما أنت بتابع قبلتهم): This cuts off their hopes, as they had been wavering, saying: "If he remains on our qibla, we hope he is the one we are waiting for," and they hoped for his return to their qibla. (It is also read as bi-tabi'i qiblatihim with the genitive construction).
"And some of them are not followers of the qibla of others" (وما بعضهم بتابع قبلة بعض): Meaning that despite their agreement in opposing you, they are divided regarding the qibla. Their agreement is not to be hoped for, just as their agreement with you is not to be hoped for. The Jews face Bayt al-Maqdis, and the Christians face the sunrise. Allah (Exalted is He) informs us of the rigidity of each party in their position and their steadfastness upon it. The one who is upon the truth does not abandon his path because of his adherence to proof, and the one who is upon falsehood does not abandon his falsehood due to the intensity of his stubbornness.
"And if you were to follow their desires" (ولئن اتبعت أهواءهم): After clarifying the reality of his state—which is known to Him—in the words, "And you are not a follower of their qibla," this speech is presented by way of hypothesis and supposition. It means: "If you were to follow them, for example, after the clarity of the proof and the encompassing knowledge of the truth of the matter..."
"Indeed, you would then be among the wrongdoers" (إنك إذا لمن الظالمين): Those who commit grave injustice. This contains gentleness for the listeners, an increased warning, a depiction of the ugliness of the state of one who abandons the evidence after it has been illuminated to follow desire, and an incitement and stimulation to remain steadfast upon the truth.
If you ask: How can He say, "And you are not a follower of their qibla," when they have two qiblas (the Jews have one and the Christians have another)?
I say: Both qiblas are false and contrary to the qibla of truth. Thus, by virtue of their shared falsehood, they are as one qibla.
