(142–143) “The foolish among the people will say, ‘What has turned them away from the direction of prayer they formerly faced?’ Say, ‘To Allah belong the east and the west. He guides whomever He wills to a straight path.’ * Thus We have made you a balanced nation so that you may be witnesses over humanity and the Messenger may be a witness over you. We appointed the direction of prayer you formerly faced only so that We might know those who follow the Messenger from those who turn back on their heels. It was indeed burdensome except for those whom Allah guided. Allah would never let your faith go to waste. Indeed, Allah is Most Compassionate and Merciful to humanity.”
The first verse comprises a miracle, consolation, reassurance for the believers’ hearts, an objection and its answer in three respects, a description of the objector, and the religious disposition of one who submits to Allah’s ruling.
Allah Most High informs us that the foolish among the people would raise an objection. They are those who do not recognize their own best interests but squander them and sell them for the lowest price. They are the Jews, the Christians, and all who resemble them in objecting to Allah’s rulings and laws. The Muslims had been commanded to face Jerusalem throughout their stay in Mecca and then for approximately a year and a half after migrating to Medina. Allah Most High had wise purposes in this, some of which He would indicate. Then His wisdom required that He command them to face the Kaaba. He therefore informed them that the foolish among the people would inevitably say, “What has turned them away from the direction of prayer they formerly faced?”—namely, Jerusalem. In other words: What made them turn away from it?
This was an objection to Allah’s judgment and law, as well as to His grace and beneficence. Allah therefore consoled the believers and informed them in advance that this objection would occur and that it would come only from those characterized by foolishness and deficient in reason, forbearance, and religion. So pay no attention to them, for the source of such words is already known. A rational person neither concerns himself with a fool’s objection nor gives it any consideration.
The verse demonstrates that no one objects to Allah’s rulings except an ignorant, obstinate fool. A rightly guided, believing and rational person, by contrast, receives his Lord’s rulings with acceptance, compliance, and submission. Allah Most High says, “It is not for a believing man or woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, to have any choice in their affair”; “But no, by your Lord! They will not truly believe until they make you judge concerning the disputes that arise among them”—to the end of the verse; and, “The only response of the believers, when they are called to Allah and His Messenger so that he may judge between them, is to say, ‘We hear and obey.’” His description of them as “the foolish” was itself sufficient to refute their statement and show that it deserved no consideration.
Nevertheless, Allah Most High did not leave this specious objection unanswered. He removed it and exposed its falsity, lest an objection arise in some hearts. He said, “Say” to them in reply: “To Allah belong the east and the west. He guides whomever He wills to a straight path.” That is, since the east and the west belong to Allah and no direction lies outside His dominion, and since He guides whomever He wills to a straight path—including His guidance of you to this direction of prayer, which belongs to the religion of your forefather Abraham—why should anyone object to your being turned toward a direction lying within Allah’s dominion? It is not as though you were facing a direction that does not belong to Him. This fact alone requires submission to His command. How much more so when His guiding you to it is part of His grace, guidance, and beneficence toward you! Whoever objects to you is therefore objecting to Allah’s grace out of envy and transgression against you.
As for His statement, “He guides whomever He wills to a straight path,” an unrestricted statement is understood in light of a qualified one. Guidance and misguidance have causes required by Allah’s wisdom and justice. In many places in His Book, He has informed us of the causes of guidance which, when a servant fulfills them, bring him guidance. Allah Most High says, “Through it Allah guides those who pursue His pleasure to the ways of peace.” In this verse, He mentions the cause that brings this nation every form of guidance in the fullest sense, as well as His favor upon it. He says:
“Thus We have made you a balanced nation,” meaning just and chosen. Everything outside the middle consists of extremes fraught with danger. Allah has therefore made this nation follow the middle course in every religious matter. It follows the middle course regarding the prophets, between those who went to excess concerning them, such as the Christians, and those who treated them harshly and disrespectfully, such as the Jews. The Muslims believe in all the prophets in the manner befitting them. They also follow the middle course in religious law, having neither the Jews’ severity and burdens nor the Christians’ laxity.
The same applies to purification and food. They are unlike the Jews, whose prayer is valid only in their temples and synagogues, whom water does not cleanse of impurities, and upon whom wholesome things were forbidden as a punishment. Nor are they like the Christians, who regard nothing as impure and forbid nothing, but permit every creature that crawls or walks.
Rather, the Muslims’ rules of purification are the fullest and most complete. Allah has permitted them wholesome foods, drinks, clothing, and marriages, while forbidding them what is foul in all these matters. Thus, this nation has the most complete religion, the noblest character, and the finest deeds.
Allah has also bestowed upon them knowledge, forbearance, justice, and benevolence such as He bestowed upon no other nation. They are therefore “a balanced nation,” [perfect], so that they may be “witnesses over humanity.” Because of their justice and equitable judgment, they pass judgment concerning the adherents of all other religions, whereas no other community passes judgment over them. Whatever this nation attests should be accepted is accepted, and whatever it attests should be rejected is rejected.
It may be asked: How can their judgment concerning others be accepted when, in any dispute, the statement of one party against the other is inadmissible? The answer is that one disputant’s statement is inadmissible only because of the possibility of bias. When bias is absent and complete probity is present—as it is in this nation—the sole objective is judgment with justice and truth. This requires knowledge and justice, both of which are present in this nation; hence its testimony is accepted.
If anyone doubts this nation’s excellence and seeks someone to attest to its integrity, that witness is the most perfect of creation, its Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Allah Most High therefore says, “And the Messenger will be a witness over you.”
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One aspect of this nation’s testimony concerning others is that, on the Day of Resurrection, Allah will question the messengers about whether they conveyed the message and will question the nations that rejected them about the same matter. When those nations deny that the prophets conveyed the message to them, the prophets will call this nation to testify, and its Prophet will attest to its integrity.
The verse also proves that the consensus of this nation constitutes decisive proof and that it is collectively protected from error. This follows from the unrestricted wording, “a balanced nation.” If it were conceivable that they might unanimously agree upon an error, they would be balanced only in certain matters. Likewise, His statement, “and so that you may be witnesses over humanity,” entails that whenever they testify concerning a ruling that Allah has declared something lawful, unlawful, or obligatory, the nation is protected from error in that matter. The verse also establishes that probity is a requirement for judgment, testimony, issuing legal verdicts, and similar responsibilities.
Allah Most High says, “We appointed the direction of prayer you formerly faced”—namely, facing Jerusalem at first—“only so that We might know,” meaning with a knowledge to which reward and punishment attach. Otherwise, Allah Most High knew all things before they came into existence.
Yet, because of His perfect justice and in order to establish the proof against His servants, He does not make reward or punishment contingent upon this prior knowledge. Rather, reward and punishment ensue only once their deeds actually occur. In other words, We prescribed that direction of prayer so that We might know and test “those who follow the Messenger” and believe in him, following him in every circumstance because the Messenger is a servant who acts under command and direction. Moreover, the earlier scriptures had foretold that he would face the Kaaba. For a fair-minded person whose aim is the truth, this only increases his faith and obedience to the Messenger.
As for one who turns back on his heels, turns away from the truth, and follows his desires, he only adds disbelief to his disbelief and bewilderment to his bewilderment. He advances a false argument founded upon a baseless doubt.
“It was indeed”—meaning your being turned away from it—“burdensome,” that is, difficult, “except for those whom Allah guided.” Through this they recognized Allah’s blessing upon them, gave thanks, and acknowledged His beneficence in directing them toward this magnificent House, which He favored above every other place on earth. He made pilgrimage to it one of the pillars of Islam and a means of erasing sins and offenses. This change was therefore easy for them but difficult for everyone else.
Allah Most High then says, “Allah would never let your faith go to waste.” That is neither conceivable nor befitting of Him; rather, it is among those things that are impossible for Him. He thus informs us that it is impossible and inconceivable for Him to let your faith go to waste. This contains tremendous good news for those whom Allah has blessed with Islam and faith: Allah will preserve their faith and will not allow it to be lost. His preservation is of two kinds.
First, He preserves it from loss and invalidation by protecting them from every factor that would corrupt, remove, or diminish it, including disturbing trials and obstructive desires. Second, He preserves it by causing it to grow within them and granting them success in doing that which increases their faith and perfects their certainty. Just as He began His favor upon you by guiding you to faith, He will preserve it for you and complete His blessing by increasing it, increasing its reward and recompense, and protecting it from every disturbance.
Indeed, when trials arise whose purpose is to distinguish the sincere believer from the liar, they purify the believers and reveal their sincerity. This statement appears to forestall a possible objection: His words, “We appointed the direction of prayer you formerly faced only so that We might know those who follow the Messenger from those who turn back on their heels,” might be thought to cause some believers to abandon their faith. He dispels this misconception by saying, “Allah would never let your faith go to waste,” whether through His decree of this trial or any other.
This also includes the believers who died before the direction of prayer was changed to the Kaaba. Allah will not let their faith go to waste, because they obeyed Allah’s command and His Messenger at the proper time. Obedience to Allah consists in complying with His command at every time in accordance with what He has prescribed then. This verse also supports the doctrine of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamāah that outward bodily deeds are included in faith.
His statement, “Indeed, Allah is Most Compassionate and Merciful to humanity,” means that His mercy toward them is intense and immense. Part of His compassion and mercy is that He completes for them the blessing with which He began; distinguishes from their ranks those who professed faith with their tongues but not with their hearts; tests them with a trial that increases their faith and raises their ranks; and directs them toward the noblest and most exalted of all Houses.