Change of the Qibla: Difference between revisions

According to Islamic sources, [[the Prophet Muhammad (s)]] performed 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 change of the qibla. When al-Qibla Verse was revealed, he was pleased and ordered [[Muslims]] to redirect toward [[al-Masjid al-Haram]].

The [[verse]] 144 of [[Sura al-Baqara]] (chapter 2), 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 [[tafsir|exegetes]] of the [[Qur'an]] take verses 142 to 144 of Sura al-Baqara to be al-Qibla Verses.

* According to some hadiths, the Ka'ba was the 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 al-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 [[prayer]]s 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 al-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.

* According to some other hadiths, in Mecca, Muslims were free to perform their prayers in any directions they wanted, but the Prophet (s) himself preferred Bayt al-Maqdis.

* 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: so whichever way you turn, there is the face 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 [[nafila prayers]] (daily supererogatory 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.

According to some hadiths, on the day of the change of the qibla, the Prophet (s) was saying [[zuhr prayer]] (Noon Prayer) 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 [[Asr Prayer]] (afternoon preayer) or the [[Morning Prayer]].

* Maqātil b. Sulaymān. ''Tafsīr Maqātil b. Sulaymān''. Edited by ʿAbd Allah Maḥmud Shaḥāta. Beirut: Al-Tārīkh al-ʿArabī, 1423AH.

* Qummī al-. ''Tafsīr al-Qummī''. Edited by al-Jazāʾirī. Qom: Dār al-Kitāb, 1404AH.

* Zamakhsharī al-. ''Al-Kashshāf''. Qom: Balāghat, 1415AH.