upon emigrating to Medina, where most of the inhabitants were Jews, was commanded by Allah to face Jerusalem. The Jews rejoiced, and the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, faced it for ten-odd months. He preferred Abraham’s direction of prayer, so he would supplicate to Allah and look toward heaven. Allah then revealed: “Indeed, We see you turning your face toward heaven,” to the end of the verse.

In Sahīh al-Bukhārī, Ikrimah narrated from Ibn Abbās, may Allah be pleased with them both: “The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, addressed the people on the Day of Sacrifice and said, ‘O people, what day is this?’ They replied, ‘A sacred day.’ He asked, ‘What city is this?’ They replied, ‘A sacred city.’ He asked, ‘What month is this?’ They replied, ‘A sacred month.’ He said, ‘Your blood, your wealth, and your honor are as inviolable to one another as this day of yours, in this city of yours, in this month of yours.’ He repeated this several times, then raised his head and said, ‘O Allah, have I conveyed the message? O Allah, have I conveyed the message?’”1.

As for his pointing his finger toward heaven, this is established in the hadith of Jābir ibn Abd Allah concerning the Farewell Pilgrimage. It states that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said during his sermon on the Day of Arafah: “Have I conveyed the message?” They replied, “Yes.” He then began raising his finger toward heaven and pointing it toward them, saying, “O Allah, bear witness”—three times. This was recorded by Muslim in his Sahīh2.

Many texts address this momentous truth, and they clearly affirm that Allah, Majestic and Exalted, is on high and above all, and that He, Glorified is He, is the All-Great, the Most Exalted. That is why