He said:

That is, when it was changed. The meaning is that the Kaaba is the direction of prayer which We knew We would appoint for you. The Kaaba, its mosque and its sanctuary are far superior to Jerusalem. It is the Ancient House and the direction of prayer of Abraham and other prophets. Allah never commanded anyone—not Moses, Jesus or anyone else—to pray towards Jerusalem. We would therefore never have made it your permanent direction of prayer. Rather, We initially appointed it as the direction of prayer so that, by turning you away from it, We might test the people and distinguish those who follow the Messenger from those who turn back on their heels. This was the wisdom behind prescribing it.

Likewise, when the Muslims were defeated at Uhud, the Prophet’s face was wounded and one of his lateral incisors was broken—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—a group fell away from faith and became hypocrites. The Most High says:

“Do not lose heart or grieve, for you will have the upper hand if you are believers.”

“If you have suffered a wound, the opposing people have suffered a similar wound. Such days We alternate among people, so that Allah may know those who believe and take martyrs from among you. Allah does not love the wrongdoers.”

“And so that Allah may purify those who believe and destroy the disbelievers.”

The Most High also says:

“What befell you on the day the two armies met was by Allah’s permission, so that He might know the believers,”

“and so that He might know those who acted hypocritically. They were told, ‘Come, fight in Allah’s cause, or defend yourselves.’ They said, ‘Had we known there would be fighting, we would have followed you.’ That day they were closer to disbelief than to faith, saying with their mouths what was not in their hearts. Allah knows best what they conceal.”

His words, “and so that He might know those who acted hypocritically,” plainly refer to those who newly engaged in hypocrisy. This includes both those who had not previously been hypocrites and those who had been hypocrites and then renewed their hypocrisy.

His words, “That day they were closer to disbelief than to faith,” show that before then they had not been closer to disbelief than to faith. Rather, they had either been equally close to both or closer to faith. And this was indeed the case, for when Ibn Ubayy