that is, the qiblah appointed by Allah. This may be reinforced by saying: Even if “Face” is intended to mean “direction,” Allah calls the qiblah in His Book a “direction,” not a “face.” Thus, one part of the Quran explains another. It may also be said: If all that is meant is that there is a created direction of prayer belonging to Allah, this is already known from His words:

“To Allah belong the east and the west.” [al-Baqarah 115]

If, however, it is said that its apparent meaning encompasses both, the statement of Mujāhid and others does not contradict this. For the qiblah is whatever the person praying faces, and mass-transmitted texts establish that the person praying faces his Lord. He also faces the created qiblah: the nearby one—the prayer barrier—and the distant one—the Kaaba, for example. Both are called a qiblah, since a qiblah is whatever one faces. On this understanding, His words:

“There is the Face of Allah.” [al-Baqarah 115]

mean: There is the direction He has appointed for prayer, and there is His Face, which the person praying faces. All of this is present when the servant turns to pray. Nothing in the apparent meaning of the Quran indicates that Allah Most High is inside created things. It merely says “there,” pointing to what is being faced