Forum Member - Wazir1961

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THE QIBLA CHANGE

ANALYSIS CONDUCTED BY MEMBER:

Wazir1961

Received 15^th November 2011

The premise of “Qibla change” generally based on secondary sources (Ahadith) and supported by Quranic verses interpreting accordingly to confirm the belief, chiefly verse 2:142.

I used translation of Yusuf Ali for this discussion, but for verse 2:142, I used four translations.(Source: http://www.searchtruth.com/chapter_display_all.php?chapter=2&from_verse=142&to_verse=150&mac=&translation_setting=1&show_transliteration=1&show_yusufali=1&show_shakir=1&show_pickthal=1&show_mkhan=1):

Yusuf Ali 142: The fools among the people will say: "What hath turned them from the Qibla to which they were used?"……..

Shakir 142: The fools among the people will say: What has turned them from their qiblah which they had? ……..

Pickthal 142: The foolish of the people will say: What hath turned them from the qiblah which they formerly observed? ……………

Mohsin Khan: 142: The fools among the people (pagans, hypocrites, and Jews) will say, "What has turned them (Muslims) from their Qiblah [prayer direction (towards Jerusalem)] to which they used to face in prayer." ………..

Yusuf Ali 2:143 …… and We appointed the Qibla to which thou wast used, only to test those who followed the Messenger from those who would turn on their heels (From the Faith). ……..

Yusuf Ali 2:144 We see the turning of thy face (for guidance) to the heavens: now Shall We turn thee to a Qibla that shall please thee. Turn then Thy face in the direction of the sacred Mosque: Wherever ye are, turn your faces in that direction. ……….

Now, important questions arise from verse 2:142 are as follows:

1. Who turned away from the Qibla mentioned in this verse? Means, who are mentioned by word “them”?

2. Whose Qibla this verse talking about? Means, who are mentioned by word "their”?

3. Who were "used to" pray in direction of Qibla in this verse? Means, who are mentioned by word “they”?

The answer to 1^st question seems to be Muslims while for 2^nd question “the people of the Book”, because here we are talking about Qibla in Jerusalem. The answer to 3^rd question can be Muslims or People of the Book.

If we consider answer to 3^rd question Muslims, then, what about ”the Qibla to which they were used?” (2:142) vis-à-vis "the Qibla to which thou wast used,” (2:143) and ”a Qibla that shall please thee.” (2:144).

And if answer is "people of the Book", then, the premise of Qibla change collapses.

So, here is my analysis to understand answer to 3^rd question.

Broadly speaking, Sura Al-Baqara can be divided as under:

1. Verses 1 to 39 are mostly addressed to mankind.

2. Verses 40 to 141 are mostly addressed to Bani-Israel i.e. people of the Book.

3. Verses 142 to 152 deals with question of Qibla in general and verses 2:142-146 deals with Qibla change.

4. Verses 153 to 286 are mostly addressed to Believers i. e. Muslims.

As mentioned above, Verses 40 to 141 are mostly addressed to Bani-Israel. This does not mean that these verses are not applicable to Muslims. In fact, Muslims must grasp the Message to avoid following footsteps of people of the Book. These verses mentions favors bestowed upon Bani-Israel, their behavior, Allah SWT’s response etc.

In these verses, we observe following pattern:

Allah SWT reminds Bani-Israel His favors and describes these favors.

2:40 O Children of Israel! call to mind the (special) favour which I bestowed upon you, and fulfill your covenant with Me as I fulfill My Covenant with you, and fear none but Me.

2:47 Children of Israel! call to mind the (special) favour which I bestowed upon you, and that I preferred you to all other (for My Message).

2:122 O Children of Israel! call to mind the special favour which I bestowed upon you, and that I preferred you to all others (for My Message).

For example:

2:49 And remember, We delivered you from the people of Pharaoh: They set you hard tasks and punishments, slaughtered your sons and let your women-folk live; therein was a tremendous trial from your Lord.

2:50 And remember We divided the sea for you and saved you and drowned Pharaoh's people within your very sight.

Allah SWT tells Bani-Israel that revelation to Prophet SAW is a confirmation of what is with them and advises them to accept the revelation i.e. the Quran.

2:41 And believe in what I reveal, confirming the revelation which is with you, and be not the first to reject Faith therein, nor sell My Signs for a small price; and fear Me, and Me alone.

2:91 When it is said to them, "Believe in what Allah Hath sent down, "they say, "We believe in what was sent down to us:" yet they reject all besides, even if it be Truth confirming what is with them. Say: "Why then have ye slain the prophets of Allah in times gone by, if ye did indeed believe?"

2:101 And when there came to them an apostle from Allah, confirming what was with them, a party of the people of the Book threw away the Book of Allah behind their backs, as if (it had been something) they did not know!

2:132 And this was the legacy that Abraham left to his sons, and so did Jacob; "Oh my sons! Allah hath chosen the Faith for you; then die not except in the Faith of Islam."

2:146 The people of the Book know this as they know their own sons; but some of them conceal the truth which they themselves know.

Allah SWT mentions tendency of Bani-Israel to conceal or reject the truth.

2:42 And cover not Truth with falsehood, nor conceal the Truth when ye know (what it is).

2:79 Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands, and then say:"This is from Allah," to traffic with it for miserable price!- Woe to them for what their hands do write, and for the gain they make thereby.

2:100 Is it not (the case) that every time they make a covenant, some party among them throw it aside?- Nay, Most of them are faithless.

2:146 The people of the Book know this as they know their own sons; but some of them conceal the truth which they themselves know.

Bani-Israel wishes that Prophet SAW and his followers should follow what they are following and not to new revelation i. e. the Quran.

2:105 It is never the wish of those without Faith among the People of the Book, nor of the Pagans, that anything good should come down to you from your Lord. But Allah will choose for His special Mercy whom He will - for Allah is Lord of grace abounding.

2:109 Quite a number of the People of the Book wish they could Turn you (people) back to infidelity after ye have believed, from selfish envy, after the Truth hath become Manifest unto them: But forgive and overlook, Till Allah accomplish His purpose; for Allah Hath power over all things.

2:120 Never will the Jews or the Christians be satisfied with thee unless thou follow their form of religion. Say: "The Guidance of Allah,-that is the (only) Guidance." Wert thou to follow their desires after the knowledge which hath reached thee, then wouldst thou find neither Protector nor helper against Allah.

2:135 They say: "Become Jews or Christians if ye would be guided (To salvation)." Say thou: "Nay! (I would rather) the Religion of Abraham the True, and he joined not gods with Allah."

Beliefs and objections of Bani-Israel and reply to these beliefs and objections.

2:80 And they say: "The Fire shall not touch us but for a few numbered days;" Say: "Have ye taken a promise from Allah, for He never breaks His promise? or is it that ye say of Allah what ye do not know?"

2:88 They say, "Our hearts are the wrappings (which preserve Allah.s Word: we need no more)." Nay, Allah’s curse is on them for their blasphemy: Little is it they believe.

2:111 And they say: "None shall enter Paradise unless he be a Jew or a Christian." Those are their (vain) desires. Say: "Produce your proof if ye are truthful."

2:113 The Jews say: "The Christians have naught (to stand) upon; and the Christians say: "The Jews have naught (To stand) upon." Yet they (Profess to) study the (same) Book. Like unto their word is what those say who know not; but Allah will judge between them in their quarrel on the Day of Judgment.

2:116 They say: "(Allah) hath begotten a son”: Glory be to Him.-Nay, to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth: everything renders worship to Him.

2:135 They say: "Become Jews or Christians if ye would be guided (To salvation)." Say thou: "Nay! (I would rather) the Religion of Abraham the True, and he joined not gods with Allah."

Now, let me set context for verse 2:142 by starting from verse 2:122:

2:122 O Children of Israel! call to mind the special favour which I bestowed upon you, and that I preferred you to all others (for My Message).

2:123 Then guard yourselves against a-Day when one soul shall not avail another, nor shall compensation be accepted from her nor shall intercession profit her nor shall anyone be helped (from outside).

2:124 And remember that Abraham was tried by his Lord with certain commands, which he fulfilled: He said: "I will make thee an Imam to the Nations." He pleaded: "And also (Imams) from my offspring!" He answered: "But My Promise is not within the reach of evil-doers."

2:125 Remember We made the House a place of assembly for men and a place of safety; and take ye the station of Abraham as a place of prayer; and We covenanted with Abraham and Isma'il, that they should sanctify My House for those who compass it round, or use it as a retreat, or bow, or prostrate themselves (therein in prayer).

2:126 And remember Abraham said: "My Lord, make this a City of Peace, and feed its people with fruits,-such of them as believe in Allah and the Last Day." He said: "(Yea), and such as reject Faith,-for a while will I grant them their pleasure, but will soon drive them to the torment of Fire,- an evil destination (indeed)!"

2:127 And remember Abraham and Isma'il raised the foundations of the House (With this prayer): "Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us: For Thou art the All-Hearing, the All-knowing.

2:128 "Our Lord! make of us Muslims, bowing to Thy (Will), and of our progeny a people Muslim, bowing to Thy (will); and show us our place for the celebration of (due) rites; and turn unto us (in Mercy); for Thou art the Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.

2:129 "Our Lord! send amongst them an Messenger of their own, who shall rehearse Thy Signs to them and instruct them in scripture and wisdom, and sanctify them: For Thou art the Exalted in Might, the Wise."

2:130 And who turns away from the religion of Abraham but such as debase their souls with folly? Him We chose and rendered pure in this world: And he will be in the Hereafter in the ranks of the Righteous.

2:131 Behold! his Lord said to him: "Bow (thy will to Me):" He said: "I bow (my will) to the Lord and Cherisher of the Universe."

2:132 And this was the legacy that Abraham left to his sons, and so did Jacob; "Oh my sons! Allah hath chosen the Faith for you; then die not except in the Faith of Islam."

2:133 Were ye witnesses when death appeared before Jacob? Behold, he said to his sons: "What will ye worship after me?" They said: "We shall worship Thy Allah and the Allah of thy fathers, of Abraham, Isma'il and Isaac,- the one (True) Allah. To Him we bow (in Islam)."

2:134 That was a people that hath passed away. They shall reap the fruit of what they did, and ye of what ye do! Of their merits there is no question in your case!

2:135 They say: "Become Jews or Christians if ye would be guided (To salvation)." Say thou: "Nay! (I would rather) the Religion of Abraham the True, and he joined not gods with Allah."

2:136 Say ye: "We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord: We make no difference between one and another of them: And we bow to Allah (in Islam)."

2:137 So if they believe as ye believe, they are indeed on the right path; but if they turn back, it is they who are in schism; but Allah will suffice thee as against them, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.

2:138 (Our religion is) the Baptism of Allah. And who can baptize better than Allah. And it is He Whom we worship.

2:139 Say: Will ye dispute with us about Allah, seeing that He is our Lord and your Lord; that we are responsible for our doings and ye for yours; and that We are sincere (in our faith) in Him?

2:140 Or do ye say that Abraham, Isma'il Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes were Jews or Christians? Say: Do ye know better than Allah. Ah! who is more unjust than those who conceal the testimony they have from Allah. but Allah is not unmindful of what ye do!

2:141 That was a people that hath passed away. They shall reap the fruit of what they did, and ye of what ye do! Of their merits there is no question in your case:

2:142 The fools among the people will say: "What hath turned them from the Qibla to which they were used?" Say: To Allah belong both east and west: He guideth whom He will to a Way that is straight.

2:143 Thus, have We made of you an Ummat justly balanced, that ye might be witnesses over the nations, and the Messenger a witness over yourselves; and We appointed the Qibla to which thou wast used, only to test those who followed the Messenger from those who would turn on their heels (From the Faith). Indeed it was (A change) momentous, except to those guided by Allah. And never would Allah Make your faith of no effect. For Allah is to all people Most surely full of kindness, Most Merciful.

2:144 We see the turning of thy face (for guidance) to the heavens: now Shall We turn thee to a Qibla that shall please thee. Turn then Thy face in the direction of the sacred Mosque: Wherever ye are, turn your faces in that direction. The people of the Book know well that that is the truth from their Lord. Nor is Allah unmindful of what they do.

2:145 Even if thou wert to bring to the people of the Book all the Signs (together), they would not follow Thy Qibla; nor art thou going to follow their Qibla; nor indeed will they follow each other's Qibla. If thou after the knowledge hath reached thee, Wert to follow their (vain) desires,-then wert thou Indeed (clearly) in the wrong.

2:146 The people of the Book know this as they know their own sons; but some of them conceal the truth which they themselves know.

Analysis:

Verses 2:122 to 2:141 are mostly addressed to the people of the Book.

Verses 2:125-127 and 2:132 clearly shows that first House of Allah SWT was built and declared sanctuary, a place of assembly for men and a place of safety.

All the occurrences of “they”, in verses 2:122-141, are addressed to the people of the Book.

Verse 2:136 clearly mentions that Prophet SAW was preaching same message which was given to prophets of Bani-Israel and to Jesus.

In verse 2:135 people of the Book raised the objection by stating that become Jew or Christian to be guided. Then, verses from second part of 2:135 to 2:141, presents answer to that objection. Similarly, in verses 2:142 some people (possibly people of the Book) raised the objection and then, verses after that answers that objection.

So, if we take into account verse 2:136, pattern of objection and answer, wishes, beliefs and objections of the people of the Book; it is logical to think that some people from the people of the Book raised objection by stating that “if you believe in same message delivered to us (2:136), then, why are you not following our Qibla?”(2:142) and this objection is answered in verses thereafter.

We also need to pay close attention to following verses of Quran:

Verse 2:145 accepts existence of multiple Qiblas and existence of separate Qibla for the people of the Book.

Verse 2:144 clearly mentions that when Allah SWT has seen Prophet SAW looking towards heaven, He (Allah SWT) turned his (Prophet SAW’s) face to a Qibla that pleased him.

Verse 2:143 (Part) clearly mentions that Allah SWT appointed the Qibla to which Prophet SAW used to.

Verse 2:143 (Part) clearly mentions that declaration of Kabah as Qibla was done to test followers of the Messenger (possibly from the people of the Book). If this test was intended for people of the Book, it is likely that this can be considered a momentous change for them as they were used to consider Holy Land a center of devotion (Qibla).

Verse 2:142 looks like objection from some people by stating that "what has turned them (Muslims) from the Qibla (of the people of the Book) to which they (people of the Book) were used to”?

It is also clear that Qibla mentioned in verse 2:142 is different from that of verse 2:143. So, statement that Prophet SAW “used to (allatee kanoo AAalayha)” pray in direction of Jerusalem and also “used to (allatee kunta AAalayha)” pray in direction of Kabah seems impossible.

Another point to note is that word used in verse 2:142 “kanu” is a “3rd person masculine plural perfect verb” while in verse 2:143 is “kunta” is a “2nd person masculine singular perfect verb”. This implies that verse 2:143 is addressing Prophet SAW while 2:142 is possibly addressing the people of the Book.

Please also see the grammatical analysis of verses 2:142-144 below; where one can observe that only in verse 2:142 plural form is used for followers of Qibla mentioned therein, while in verses 2:143 and 2:144 singular forms is used for follower of Qibla mentioned therein. In other words, only Prophet SAW seems to be addressed in verses 2:143-144, while people of Books seems to be addressed in verse 2:142.

(2:142:6) wallāhum / (has) turned them / PRON – 3rd person masculine plural object pronoun

(2:142:8) qib'latihimu / their direction of prayer / PRON – 3rd person masculine plural possessive pronoun

(2:142:10) kānū / they were used to / V – 3rd person masculine plural perfect verb

(2:143:17) kunta / you were used to / V – 2nd person masculine singular perfect verb

(2:144:4) wajhika / (of) your face / PRON – 2nd person masculine singular possessive pronoun

(2:144:7) falanuwalliyannaka / So We will surely turn you / PRON – 2nd person masculine singular object pronoun

(2:144:9) tarḍāhā / you will be pleased with. / V – 2nd person masculine singular

(2:144:10) fawalli / So turn / V – 2nd person masculine singular (form II) imperative verb

(2:144:11) wajhaka / your face / PRON – 2nd person masculine singular possessive pronoun

Source: http://corpus.quran.com/wordbyword.jsp?chapter=2&verse=142

Moreover, we need to take into account following facts:

That Kabah was built by Prophet Ibrahim PBUH and Prophet Ismail PBUH and declared it as a House of Allah SWT, a place of assembly for men and a place of safety.

That sphere of activities of Bani-Israel was Holy Land i.e. Jerusalem and area around it. So, naturally they believed that the direction of devotion (Qibla) should be Jerusalem.

That sphere of activities of Bani-Ismail was Makkah. So, naturally Kabah should be a sacred place and a center of devotion (Qibla) for them.

That Prophet SAW was born and raised in Makkah and there is no evidence to suggest that he was following or believing in scriptures of the people of the Book.

That there is not a single verse in Quran, which indicates that, Prophet SAW ever took Jerusalem as a Qibla and turned towards it or Allah SWT ordered him to turn in that direction.

So, there is very low probability that Prophet SAW ever believed that the direction of devotion (Qibla) was Jerusalem and had prayed in that direction.

Conclusion:

If we see all these verses in big picture, it becomes clear that Prophet Ibrahim PBUH and Prophet Ismail PBUH built the Kabah in Makkah and declared it as a Qibla for mankind. Later on, people of the Book changed their center of devotion (Qibla) to Jerusalem.

People of Book might be pursuing Prophet SAW and his followers to accept their wishes and possibly their Qibla (2:105, 2:109, 2:120, and 2:135). Moreover, objection raised in verse 4:142 also possibly implies that the people who put forward the question essentially asking Prophet SAW to accept their Qibla as a common ground to compromise. So, Allah SWT not only formally appointed Kabah as Qibla, But, He warned them (Prophet SAW and his followers) that “If thou after the knowledge hath reached thee, Wert to follow their (vain) desires,-then wert thou Indeed (clearly) in the wrong “(verse 2:145).

So, when Prophet SAW received revelation or even before that he ”used to” believe Makkah a center of devotion (Qibla) and not Jerusalem (which was a center of devotion for people of the Book).

So, premise that Prophet SAW and his followers were praying towards Jerusalem and changed their direction toward Makkah, seem to be untenable.