Al-Baqarah 2:143 وكذالك جعلناكم امة وسطا لتكونوا شهداء على الناس ويكون الرسول عليكم شهيدا وما جعلنا القبلة التي كنت عليها الا لنعلم من يتبع الرسول ممن ينقلب على عقبيه وان كانت لكبيرة الا على الذين هدى الله وما كان الله ليضيع ايمانكم ان الله بالناس لرءوف رحيم ١٤٣
وَكَذَٰلِكَ
جَعَلۡنَٰكُمۡ
أُمَّةٗ
وَسَطٗا
لِّتَكُونُواْ
شُهَدَآءَ
عَلَى
ٱلنَّاسِ
وَيَكُونَ
ٱلرَّسُولُ
عَلَيۡكُمۡ
شَهِيدٗاۗ
وَمَا
جَعَلۡنَا
ٱلۡقِبۡلَةَ
ٱلَّتِي
كُنتَ
عَلَيۡهَآ
إِلَّا
لِنَعۡلَمَ
مَن
يَتَّبِعُ
ٱلرَّسُولَ
مِمَّن
يَنقَلِبُ
عَلَىٰ
عَقِبَيۡهِۚ
وَإِن
كَانَتۡ
لَكَبِيرَةً
إِلَّا
عَلَى
ٱلَّذِينَ
هَدَى
ٱللَّهُۗ
وَمَا
كَانَ
ٱللَّهُ
لِيُضِيعَ
إِيمَٰنَكُمۡۚ
إِنَّ
ٱللَّهَ
بِٱلنَّاسِ
لَرَءُوفٞ
رَّحِيمٞ
١٤٣
And so We have made you ˹believers˺ an upright1 community so that you may be witnesses over humanity and that the Messenger may be a witness over you. We assigned your former direction of prayer only to distinguish those who would remain faithful to the Messenger from those who would lose faith. It was certainly a difficult test except for those ˹rightly˺ guided by Allah. And Allah would never discount your ˹previous acts of˺ faith. Surely Allah is Ever Gracious and Most Merciful to humanity.
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
And thus We have made you a median [i.e., 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.1 And indeed, it is difficult except for those whom Allāh has guided. And never would Allāh have caused you to lose your faith [i.e., your previous prayers]. Indeed Allāh is, to the people, Kind and Merciful.
— Saheeh International
Read Tafsir
Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
Changing the Qiblah @ Direction of the Prayer
Imam Al-Bukhari reported that Al-Bara' bin `Azib narrated: "Allah's Messenger ﷺ offered his prayers facing Bayt Al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) for sixteen or seventeen months, but he wished that he could pray facing the Ka`bah (at Makkah). The first prayer which h
…Changing the Qiblah @ Direction of the Prayer
Imam Al-Bukhari reported that Al-Bara' bin `Azib narrated: "Allah's Messenger ﷺ offered his prayers facin
…