you turn, there is the wajh (face) of Allah.’ The East and the West are nothing but directions, and the word wajh here means “direction.” People say, “Which wajh do you want?”—that is, “Which direction?”—and, “I am heading for this wajh,” meaning this particular direction. As Allah, exalted is He, also says, “Every group has a wajhah (direction) toward which it turns” (Qur’an 2:148). For that reason He said, “So wherever you turn, there is the wajh of Allah,” meaning whichever way you face and to which you direct yourselves. Allah knows best.

This is the final note penned by the Shaykh—may Allah have mercy on him—concerning the debate held in the palace in the presence of the Sultan’s deputy (1), along with the judges, jurists, and others.