Chapter 40 : Changing of The Qiblah Flashcards
Praying Facing Bayt Al Maqdis / Bayt Al Muqaddas [ Jerusalem ] in Makkah
- When The Prophet was in Makkah, after the commencement of his Prophethood, Allah commanded The Prophet to pray facing Bayt Al Maqdis / Bayt Al Muqaddas [ Jerusalem ] and he did so throughout his entire time in Makkah
- Narrations indicate that whenever The Prophet prayed in Makkah facing Jerusalem, He would in fact pray through The Kaabah [ Means The Kaabah would be in front of him and it will directed towards Jerusalem ] [ Basically having a Double Qiblah ]
- Bayt Al Maqdis / Bayt Al Muqaddas [ Jerusalem ] is indeed A blessed land according to The Quran :-
” Glory be to Him [ subhan ] Who made His servant to go [ asra ] on a night [ laylan ] from The Sacred Mosque [ Masjid Al Haram ] to the Remote Mosque [ Masjid Al Aqsa ] of which We have blessed the precincts so that We may show him some of Our signs, surely He is The Hearing, The Seeing. “
Al Quran [ 17 : 1 ]
- Prophet’s Abraham and Ismail made Makkah The Holiest Land but this was not for The Jews who thought Bayt Al Maqdis / Bayt Al Muqaddas [ Jerusalem ] was The Holiest Land [ To this day, they don’t consider Makkah to be holy ]
- Narrations mention that many of The Prophets [ > 70 Prophet’s ] including Prophet Musa made Hajj to Makkah but not their followers
The Prophet’s Relationship With The Jews of Madinah
- When The Prophet emigrated to Madinah, he was very optimistic about his relationship with The Jews because of their many shared beliefs and values [ Both Has Monotheistic Beliefs ]
- Abdullah Ibn Salam [ One of the most prominent Jewish Rabbi’s ] also embraced Islam when The Prophet arrived in Madinah
- The Jews in fact were awaiting the advent of God’s Final Messenger :-
” Those whom We have given The Book recognize him as they recognize their sons and A party of them most surely conceal the truth while they know it. “
Al Quran [ 2 : 146 ]
- Unfortunately, The Jews of Madinah were incredibly hostile towards The Prophet :-
” You will surely find the most intense of the people in animosity toward The Believers [ To Be ] The Jews and those who associate others with Allah and you will find the nearest of them in affection to The Believers those who say ‘ We are Christians. ‘ That is because among them are priests and monks and because they are not arrogant. “
Al Quran [ 5 : 82 ]
- When all this animosity started, The Prophet began wanting to change the direction of The Qiblah
- Of course, he could not change it at his own will
- It is narrated that once when Gabriel came down with Revelation, The Prophet expressed his wish to Gabriel for the Qiblah to be changed
- Gabriel advised him to present his request to His Lord
Regarding The Changing of The Qiblah
- When animosity from The Jews started, The Prophet began wanting to change the direction of The Qiblah
- Of course, he could not change it at his own will
- It is narrated that once when Gabriel came down with Revelation, The Prophet expressed his wish to Gabriel for the Qiblah to be changed
- Gabriel advised him to present his request to His Lord
- The Prophet began earnestly supplicating at night and in the day so much so that he would gaze up into the sky :-
” Indeed We see the turning of thy face to heaven so We shall surely turn thee to A Qiblah which thou shalt be pleased with, turn then thy face towards The Sacred Mosque [ Masjid Al Haram ] and wherever you are, turn your face towards it and those who have been given The Book most surely know that it is the truth from their Lord and Allah is not at all heedless of what they do. “
Al Quran [ 2 : 144 ]
When was The Qiblah changed from Jerusalem to Makkah
Shaykh Al Tusi [ Shia Scholar ] in Tahdhib Al Ahkam
- Shaykh Al Tusi [ Shia Scholar ] reports in Tahdhib Al Ahkam that one of the companions of Imam Al Sadiq asked The Imam when The Prophet was turned away from his old Qiblah and directed towards The Kaabah to which The Imam replied :-
” After returning from Badr. “
Narration From The 5th or 6th Imam
- Abu Baseer once asked The 5th or 6th Imam about The Qiblah :-
” Did God command The Prophet to pray towards Bayt Al Maqdis [ Or was it always towards The Kaabah ] ? “
- The Imam replied :-
” Yes, do you not see that God said ‘ And We had not made The Qiblah which you had [ Bayt Al Maqdis ] but that We might know him who follows The Messenger from him who turns back upon his heels and though this was surely hard except for those whom Allah has guided aright and Allah is not going to make your faith be fruitless, most surely Allah is Affectionate, Merciful to the people [ Surah 2 Verse 143 ]. ‘ Verily. The Bani Abdul Ashal were praying when someone came to them [ During their Asr Prayer ] while they had already prayers 2 Units towards Bayt Al Maqdis. They were told ‘ Your Prophet’s Qiblah had changed … ‘ So the women rotated to the place of the men and the men rotated to the place of the women and they completed the final 2 units facing The Kaabah. “
Another Narration From The 6th Imam
” The Prophet was directed to face The Kaabah [ During Prayer ] after Badr. In Madinah, he used to pray towards Bayt Al Maqdis for 17 Months. “
- It was most likely changed after 19 Months and not 17 [ We have other narrations by our Imam’s which also say that it was 19 Months after Hijra ]
Narration From The 1st Imam
” From the beginning of The Mab’ath [ The Prophetic Mission ], The Prophet prayed towards Bayt Al Maqdis and for his entire stay in Makkah [ 13 Years ], he prayed facing Bayt Al Maqdis. And even after The Hijra, for a number of months, The Prophet was facing Bayt Al Maqdis. The Jews of Madinah were taunting and insulting The Prophet when they saw The Prophet praying while facing Bayt Al Maqdis [ As they considered Jerusalem as their Qiblah ]. The Prophet was pained by these acts of The Jews such that The Prophet would look up at the sky and pray waiting for Allah to intervene until Allah revealed Surah 2 Verse 144 [ Thereby legislating the new Qiblah ]. “
Quranic Verses on The Changing of The Qiblah From Bayt Al Maqdis / Bayt Al Muqaddas [ Jerusalem ] to The Kaabah in Makkah
- A significant number of Verses in Surat Al Baqarah discuss the changing of The Qiblah from Jerusalem to Makkah :-
” The fools among the people will say ‘ What has turned them from their Qiblah which they had ? ‘ Say ‘ The East and The West belong only to Allah, He guides him whom He likes to A straight path. ‘ And thus We have made you A medium nation so that you may be witnesses for the people and The Messenger may be A witness for you. And We had not made The Qiblah which you had but that We might know him who follows The Messenger from him who turns his back upon his heels and though this was surely hard except for those whom Allah has guided aright and Allah was not going to make your faith be fruitless, most surely Allah is Affectionate, Merciful to the people. Indeed We see the turning of thy face to heaven so We shall surely turn thee to A Qiblah which thou shalt be please with, turn then thy face towards The Sacred Mosque [ Masjid Al Haram ] and wherever you are, turn your faces towards it and those who have been given The Book most surely know that it is the truth from their Lord and Allah is not at all heedless of what they do. And even if you bring to those who have been given The Book every sign they would not follow your Qiblah nor can you be A follower of their Qiblah neither are they the followers of each other’s Qiblah and if you follow their desires after the knowledge that has come to you then you shall most surely be among the unjust. Those whom We have given The Book recognize him as they recognize their sons and A party of them most surely conceal the truth while they know [ It ]. The truth is from your Lord therefore you should not be of the doubters. And every one has A direction to which he would turn, therefore, hasten to [ Do ] good works wherever you are, Allah will bring you all together, surely Allah has power over all things. And from whatsoever place you come forth, turn your face towards The Sacred Mosque [ Masjid Al Haram ] and surely it is the very truth from your Lord and Allah is not at all heedless of what you do. And from whatsoever place you come forth, turn your face towards The Sacred Mosque [ Masjid Al Haram ] and wherever you are, turn your face towards it so that people shall have no arguments against you except such of them as are unjust do not fear them and fear Me and so that I may complete My favour on you and that you may walk on the right course. Even as We have sent among you A Messenger from among you who recites to you Our communications and purifies you and teaches you The Book and The Wisdom and teaches you what which you did not know. Therefore remember Me, I will remember you and be thankful to Me and do not be ungrateful to Me. “
Al Quran [ 2 : 142 - 152 ]
- Surah Al Baqarah Verses 153 - 157 warns The Believers of the great hardships that lie ahead now that they have broken away from The Jews :-
” O you who believe ! Seek assistance through patience and prayer, surely Allah is with the patient ones. And do not speak of those who are slain in Allah’s way as dead, Nay, [ They are ] alive but you do not perceive. And We will most certainly try you with somewhat of fear and hunger and loss of property and lives and fruits and give good news to the patient ones, who, when A misfortune befalls them, say ‘ Surely we are Allah’s and to Him we shall surely return. ‘ Those are they on whom are blessings and mercy from their Lord and those are the followers of the right course. “
Al Quran [ 2 : 153 - 157 ]
