2. Sūrat al-Baqarah

٢۔ سُورَةُ البَقَرَة

2.59 God elevates the Muslims as the preferred nation symbolizing it with the change in the direction of prayer toward the Kaᶜba in Makkah.

٢۔٥٩ مقطع في سُورَةُ البَقَرَة

quran:2:142

The foolish among the people will say, "What has turned them away from their qiblah, which they used to face?" Say, "To Allah belongs the east and the west. He guides whom He wills to a straight path."  

The fools, the ignorant, among the people, that is, the Jews and the idolaters, will say, ‘What, matter, has turned them, the Prophet (s) and the believers, from the direction they were facing in their prayers formerly?’, this being the Holy House (bayt al-maqdis, sc. Jerusalem); the sīn ˹of sa-yaqūlu, ‘they will say’˺ denotes the future tense and informs of the Unseen. Say: ‘To God belong the East and the West, that is, all directions. Thus He commands that they face whichever direction He wills, and there can be no objection. He guides whomever He will, His guidance being, to a straight path’, that is, the religion of Islam, and you are among these ˹guided ones˺.
القرآن:٢:١٤٢

سَيَقُولُ السُّفَهَاءُ مِنَ النَّاسِ مَا وَلَّاهُمْ عَنْ قِبْلَتِهِمُ الَّتِي كَانُوا عَلَيْهَا ۚ قُلْ لِلَّهِ الْمَشْرِقُ وَالْمَغْرِبُ ۚ يَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ  

{سيقول السفهاء} الجهال {من الناس} اليهود والمشركين {ما ولاّهم} أي شيء، صرف النبي والمؤمنين {عن قبلتهم التي كانوا عليها} على استقبالها في الصلاة وهي بيت المقدس، والإتيان بالسين الدالة على الاستقبال من الإخبار بالغيب {قل لله المشرق والمغرب} أي الجهات كلها فيأمر بالتوجه إلى أي جهة شاء لا اعتراض عليه {يهدي من يشاء} هدايته {إلى صراط} طريق {مستقيم} دين الإسلام أي ومنهم أنتم دل على هذا.
quran:2:143

And thus we have made you a just community that you will be witnesses over the people and the Messenger will be a witness over you. And We did not make the qiblah which you used to face except that We might make evident who would follow the Messenger from who would turn back on his heels. And indeed, it is difficult except for those whom Allah has guided. And never would Allah have caused you to lose your faith. Indeed Allah is, to the people, Kind and Merciful.  

Thus, in the same way that We guided you to it, We appointed you, O community of Muhammad (s), a midmost community, excellent and upright, that you might be witnesses to the people, on the Day of Resurrection, that their messengers delivered ˹the Message˺ to them; and that the Messenger might be a witness to you, that he delivered ˹the Message˺ to you, and We did not appoint, make, the direction, for you now, the direction, you were facing, that is the Ka‘ba: the Prophet (s) used to face it in prayer, but when he emigrated he was commanded to face the Holy House ˹of Jerusalem˺, in order to win the hearts of the Jews. He prayed in this direction for sixteen or seventeen months before he changed direction; except that We might know, ˹that it become˺ manifest knowledge, who followed the Messenger, and believed in him, from him who turned on his heels, and returned to unbelief doubting the religion and thinking that the Prophet (s) was confused about this issue; and a number of them apostatised as a result of this— though it, the change of direction, were (wa-in, ‘though’, is softened, and its noun apocopated, originally being: wa-innahā) a grave thing, troublesome for people, save for those, of them, whom God has guided; but God would never cause your faith, that is, your prayers towards the Holy House ˹of Jerusalem˺, to be wasted, but He will reward you for them (the reason that this ˹verse˺ was revealed was that some had asked about the status of those that had died before the change of direction ˹of prayer˺); truly, God is Gentle with, believing, people, Merciful, when He does not let their deeds go to waste (al-ra’fa means ‘intensity of mercy’, and is mentioned first to allow for the end rhyme of the verse ˹with the preceding one˺).
القرآن:٢:١٤٣

وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا لِتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيدًا ۗ وَمَا جَعَلْنَا الْقِبْلَةَ الَّتِي كُنْتَ عَلَيْهَا إِلَّا لِنَعْلَمَ مَنْ يَتَّبِعُ الرَّسُولَ مِمَّنْ يَنْقَلِبُ عَلَىٰ عَقِبَيْهِ ۚ وَإِنْ كَانَتْ لَكَبِيرَةً إِلَّا عَلَى الَّذِينَ هَدَى اللَّهُ ۗ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُضِيعَ إِيمَانَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِالنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ  

{وكذلك} كما هديناكم إليه {جعلناكم} يا أمة محمد {أمة وسطا} خيارا عدولا {لتكونوا شهداء على الناس} يوم القيامة أنَّ رسلهم بلَّغتهم {ويكون الرسول عليكم شهيدا} أنه بلغكم {وما جعلنا} صيرنا {القبلة} لك الآن الجهة {التي كنت عليها} أولا وهي الكعبة وكان يصلى إليها فلما هاجر أمر باستقبال بيت المقدس تألُّفا لليهود فصلى إليه ستة أو سبعة عشر شهرا ثم حول {إلا لنعلم} علم ظهور {من يتبع الرسول} فيصدقه {ممن ينقلب على عقبيه} أي يرجع إلى الكفر شكا في الدين وظنا أن النبي في حيرة من أمره وقد ارتد لذلك جماعة {وإن} مخففة من الثقيلة واسمها محذوف أي وإنها {كانت} أي التولية إليها {لكبيرة} شاقة على الناس {إلا على الذين هدى الله} منهم {وما كان الله ليضيع إيمانكم} أي صلاتكم إلى بيت المقدس بل يثيبكم عليه لأن سبب نزولها السؤال عمن مات قبل التحويل {إن الله بالناس} المؤمنين {لرؤوف رحيم} في عدم إضاعة أعمالهم، والرأفةُ شدة الرحمة وقدَّم الأبلغ للفاصلة.
quran:2:144

We have certainly seen the turning of your face, ˹O Muhammad˺, toward the heaven, and We will surely turn you to a qiblah with which you will be pleased. So turn your face toward al-Masjid al-Haram. And wherever you ˹believers˺ are, turn your faces toward it ˹in prayer˺. Indeed, those who have been given the Scripture well know that it is the truth from their Lord. And Allah is not unaware of what they do.  

We have indeed (qad, ‘indeed’, is for affirmation) seen you turning your face about in the, direction of the, heaven, looking around for the Revelation and longing for the command to face the Ka‘ba: he ˹the Prophet˺ wished for this because it was the prayer-direction of Abraham and would be more conducive to the submission of the Arabs ˹to Islam˺; now We will surely turn you to a direction that shall satisfy you, that you will love. Turn your face, in prayer, towards the Sacred Mosque, that is, the Ka‘ba, and wherever you are (addressing the ˹Muslim˺ community) turn your faces, in prayer, towards it. Those who have been given the Scripture know that it, the change towards the Ka‘ba, is the, fixed, truth from their Lord, on account of the description in their Scripture of how the Prophet (s) would re-orient himself to it; God is not heedless of what you do, O believers, when you obey His command (alternatively, ta‘malūna, ‘you do’, can be read ya‘malūna, ‘they do’, in other words ˹it would be referring to˺ the Jews’ denial of the matter concerning the direction of prayer).
القرآن:٢:١٤٤

قَدْ نَرَىٰ تَقَلُّبَ وَجْهِكَ فِي السَّمَاءِ ۖ فَلَنُوَلِّيَنَّكَ قِبْلَةً تَرْضَاهَا ۚ فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ ۚ وَحَيْثُ مَا كُنْتُمْ فَوَلُّوا وُجُوهَكُمْ شَطْرَهُ ۗ وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ لَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ ۗ وَمَا اللَّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا يَعْمَلُونَ  

{قد} للتحقيق {نرى تقلُّب} تصرف {وجهك في} جهة {السماء} متطلعا إلى الوحي ومتشوقا للأمر باستقبال الكعبة وكان يود ذلك لأنها قبلة إبراهيم ولأنه دعى إلى إسلام العرب {فلنولينك} نحولنك {قبلة ترضاها} تحبها {فولِّ وجهك} استقبل في الصلاة {شطر} نحو {المسجد الحرام} أي الكعبة {وحيثما كنتم} خطاب للأمة {فولُّوا وجوهكم} في الصلاة {شطره وإن الذين أوتوا الكتاب ليعلمون أنه} أي التولي إلى الكعبة {الحق} الثابت {من ربهم} لما في كتبهم من نعت النبي من أنه يتحول إليها {وما الله بغافل عما تعملون} بالتاء أيها المؤمنون من امتثال أمره وبالياء أي اليهود من إنكار أمر القبلة.