When the qiblah was shifted from Bayt al-Maqdis to the noble Kaʿbah, they protested and denied it—even though they knew full well it was the truth. Their rejection sprang from stubbornness, defiance, and envy toward the Prophet ﷺ and toward this ummah.

Allah says, in effect: Righteousness is not a matter of turning your faces to one direction or another without a command from Allah; real righteousness is obedience to Him. Whenever He issues a command, you are obliged to comply—that is righteousness. So, when He ordered you to face Bayt al-Maqdis, righteousness at that time consisted in facing Bayt al-Maqdis, because that was obedience to Allah. Then, when He commanded you to face the Kaʿbah, righteousness became facing the Kaʿbah. In short, righteousness turns wherever the command of Allah turns.

You are servants who must submit. If Allah tells you to face a particular direction, you must face it. To cling fanatically to one direction and insist that only it is valid is nothing but following desires and blind partisanship. The true servant goes wherever Allah’s commands go and never objects to them; for persisting in a practice after it has been abrogated is not obedience to Allah. Acting on the abrogated ruling while neglecting the ruling that supersedes it is obedience to whim and prejudice, not to Allah. Righteousness is tied to obeying Allah, so wherever He turns you, turn—if you are genuine in your worship of Him.