Change of the Qibla: Difference between revisions

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'''Redirection of Qibla''' (Arabic: {{ia|تحويل القبلة}}) is the event in which the [[Qibla]] of [[Muslim]]s was redirected from [[Masjid al-Aqsa]], located in [[Jerusalem]], to the [[Ka'ba]]. The event occurred in [[Rajab]], [[2]]/January, 624, after the [[revelation]] of the [[verse]] 144 of [[Sura al-Baqara]]. According to the majority of historiographers, the redirection of Qibla occurred in [[Masjid al-Qiblatayn]] in [[Medina]] in the middle of the [[noon prayer]]. One remarkable question about the redirection of the Qibla is how people turned in the middle of a [[congregational prayer]] to over 160 degrees.

According to Islamic sources, [[the Prophet Muhammad (s)]] said his [[prayers]] in the direction of [[Bayt al-Maqdis]] when he was in [[Mecca]] and in the early years of his stay in [[Medina]], but he liked to have a Qibla of his own and thus, he expected a revelation for the redirection of Qibla. When al-Qibla Verse was revealed, he was pleased and ordered the Muslims to redirect toward [[Masjid al-Haram]].

{{main|Qibla Verse}}

The verse 144 of [[Sura al-Baqara]], involving the order to redirect the Qibla, is known as "al-Qibla Verse". Verses 142, 143, and 150 of Sura al-Baqara are also referred to as al-Qibla Verses. Some exegetes of the [[Qur'an]] take verses 142 to 144 of Sura al-Baqara to be al-Qibla Verses.

There are different [[hadiths]] and views about the background of the Qibla:

* According to some hadiths, the Ka'ba was a Qibla since the period of the prophet, [[Adam (a)]]. The prophet [[Ibrahim (a)]] reconstructed the Ka'ba, and the prophet [[Musa (a)]] was told by God to redirect the Qibla from [[Masjid al-Aqsa]] to Bayt al-Maqdis in order to save the former from [[polytheism]] and deviations.

* According to other hadiths, until two years after [[Hijra]], the official Qibla of Muslims was Bayt al-Maqdis. At that time, the Ka'ba was a house for idols, and thus, saying prayers in its direction would imply respect for idols.

* Some people say: before Hijra, the Prophet (s) observed both Qiblas whenever possible. For example, because of the geographical location of Mecca and Bayt al-Maqdis he could stand in the direction of Bayt al-Maqdis in a way that the Ka'ba could be between him and Bayt al-Maqdis. However, when it was not possible to do so, he only performed his prayers in the direction of Masjid al-Aqsa. After his migration to Medina, it was not possible to observe both Qiblas because of the geographical location of Medina, and thus, Bayt al-Maqdis was the only Qibla of the Prophet (s) and Muslims.

* There are hadiths according to which before Hijra, the Ka'ba was the Qibla of Muslims. This implies two redirections of the Qibla, once from the Ka'ba to Bayt al-Maqdis and once again from Bayt al-Maqdis to the Ka'ba.

* By an appeal to the verse 115 of Sura al-Baqara, "To Allah belong the East and the West: Whithersoever ye turn, there is the presence of Allah", some exegetical sources maintain that the Prophet (s) and other Muslims were free to turn toward either of the two Qiblas. To support this view, they appeal to the Prophet (s) not objecting to [[Bara' b. Ma'rur]] when he performed his prayer in the direction of the Ka'ba in a trip to Mecca before [[Hijra]]. On the contrary, some people take the above Quranic verse to be concerned with [[Nawafil]] (recommended prayers) when one is on a travel, but according to some historical accounts, Bara' b. Ma'rur continued to say his prayers in the direction of the Ka'ba after Hijra, while the Prophet (s) still said his prayers in the direction of Bayt al-Maqdis. When the Prophet (s) heard about this, he prohibited Bara' from doing so, and he complied with the Prophet's (s) words.

==How the Qibla was Redirected==

According to some hadiths, on the day of the redirection of the Qibla, the Prophet (s) was saying Noon Prayers in the direction of Bayt al-Maqdis. As usual, men were saying prayers behind him, and women were saying their prayers behind men. After performing two [[rak'as]] of the prayer, [[Jabra'il]] was sent to the Prophet (s). He revealed the verse 144 of Sura al-Baqara to him and redirected him to the Ka'ba.

There are differences in the accounts of when the Qibla was redirected or where the prayer was being performed at the time of the redirection of the Qibla toward the Ka'ba. On some accounts, it occurred in the [[Afternoon Prayer]] or the [[Morning Prayer]].

There is no agreement among historians as to where the event of the redirection of the Qibla occurred. Three places are mentioned in historical sources:

* The mosque in the area of Banu Salima in the northwestern part of Medina, known as [[Masjid al-Qiblatayn]]. The majority of the historians take this mosque to be the place where the redirection of the Qibla occurred.

==The Problem of the Redirection of the Qibla in the Middle of Congregational Prayer==

Bayt al-Maqdis is located in the northern direction of Medina, and [[Masjid al-Haram]] is located in its southern direction. Thus, the Prophet (s) turned from where he was standing to almost the reverse side. This has led to the thought that in this way, men had to stay in front of the Prophet (s) who was the leader of the congregational prayer and women had to stay in front of men. However, according to some sources, after the redirection of the Qibla to the Ka'ba, the Prophet (s) moved from his place to the other end of the mosque and people did the same and they all redirected themselves to the Ka'ba. On this account, the leader of the congregational prayer did not only turn 180 or 160 degrees, but also moved in order for there to be enough space for men and women saying their prayers behind him.

==Reasons for the Redirection of the Qibla==

Exegetes of the [[Qur'an]] have mentioned different reasons for the redirection of the Qibla. When the Prophet (s) lived in Mecca, the Ka'ba was a place of idols worshipped by polytheists. Thus, the Prophet (s) complied with the divine command to temporally turn toward Bayt al-Maqdis, and thus, their direction was different from the direction of polytheists.

When the Prophet's (s) government was established in Medina, the Muslim community was stabilized and they were clearly distinguished from others. Thus, there was no necessity for Bayt al-Maqdis to be a Qibla and the Prophet (s) wanted the redirection of the Qibla. The Ka'ba was the oldest house of [[monotheism]] and the most original home for prophets. Moreover, after the ruling of the redirection of the Qibla, Muslims were distinguished from Jews who turned toward Bayt al-Maqdis.

The redirection of the Qiblas was a test for true Muslims, because the true followers of divine commands accepted the redirection without any questionings or reluctance, but those who were not true pure believers, started to ask questions, just like the Jews, and found it extremely difficult to comply with this order.

The redirection of the Qibla was followed by some reactions and consequences.

Jews of Hijaz were dissatisfied by the redirection of the Qibla and began to spread propaganda against Muslims.

* The material for this article is mainly taken from {{ia|[[fa:تغییر قبله]] تغییر قبله}} in Farsi WikiShi'a.