(Mufti. Shah Rafi Uddin Hamdani & Dr. Imran Khan)

Qiblah refers to the direction which the Muslims face while offering their prayer. Since the inception of humanity, the Qiblah of the Muslims (believers) was the Ka'bah or the Baitullah in Makkah, ¹ which was constructed by the angels initially, ² and then, by Prophet Adam , ³ Prophet Abraham ⁴ and other people later on. All Prophets , their descendants and followers prayed while facing in this direction. Prophet Muhammad also faced this direction when he offered prayer, however before the migration to Madinah, the direction was changed towards Bait Al-Muqaddas (Jerusalem) and then after 16 months, back towards Ka'bah again.

Qiblah of the Holy Prophet in Makkah

When the Holy Prophet started offering prayer in Makkah, he used to face in the direction of the Ka'bah. For 10 years, he faced the Holy Ka'bah while offering prayer, after which he was ordered by Allah Almighty to change his direction towards Bait Al- Muqaddas (Jerusalem). Al-Asqalani narrates:

وأخرج الطبراني من طريق بن جريج قال صلى النبي صلى اللّٰه عليه وسلم أول ما صلى إلى الكعبة ثم صرف إلى بيت المقدس وهو بمكة فصلى ثلاث حجج ثم هاجر فصلى إليه بعد قدومه المدينة ستة عشر شهرا ثم وجهه اللّٰه إلى الكعبة فقوله في حديث بن عباس الأول أمره اللّٰه يرد قول من قال إنه صلى إلى بيت المقدس باجتهاد. ⁵

Al-Tabarani narrated from Ibn Juraij, who said that when Prophet Muhammad prayed in the beginning, he prayed towards the Ka’bah, then he turned to Bait Al- Muqaddas (Jerusalem) while he was in Makkah, and he prayed for three year towards Bait Al- Muqaddas (Jerusalem). Then, he emigrated and prayed towards it after coming to Madinah for sixteen months, then Allah turned him to the Ka’bah. In the hadith narrated by Ibn Abbas, the statement "God commanded him" refutes those who claimed that he prayed towards Bait Al-Muqaddas out of personal judgment (ijtihad).

According to this narration, the Qiblah was changed in the 10th year of prophethood as the Holy Prophet migrated to Madinah in the 13th year of prophethood. Some of the commentators draw evidence from the Holy Quran and state that the east refers to the Ka'bah and the west refers to Bait Al-Muqaddas. The Holy Quran states:

سَيَقُولُ السُّفَهَاءُ مِنَ النَّاسِ مَا وَلَّاهُمْ عَنْ قِبْلَتِهِمُ الَّتِي كَانُوا عَلَيْهَا قُلْ لِلَّهِ الْمَشْرِقُ وَالْمَغْرِبُ يَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ142⁶

Now the foolish from the people will say: ‘What has turned away these (Muslims) from their Qibla "Bait Al- Muqaddas (Jerusalem)" to which they used to face (before)?’ Say: ‘The east and the west (all) belong to Allah alone. He guides whom He pleases to the straight path’.

While explaining the words قُل لِّلَّهِ الْمَشْرِقُ وَالْمَغْرِبُ Ibn-e-Abbas states:

{قل} يا محمد {للّٰه المشرق} الصلاة إلى الكعبة {والمغرب} الصلاة التي صليتم إلى بيت المقدس كلاهما بأمر اللّٰه. ⁷

(Say) O Muhammad (the east belongs to Allah) (which means) Prayer in the direction of Ka'bah (and the west) (which means) Prayer which you all prayed in the direction of Bait Al- Muqaddas (Jerusalem), both were done with the order of Allah.

A similar stance was adopted by Al-Zamakhshari. ⁸ However, Al-Baidawi adds that this was done to coax the Jews, so that they would be more inclined to accept Islam, ⁹ as it was the time when Islamic missionaries were being sent to other cities and tribes, especially Yathrib, the city around which many Jewish tribes resided. So, the narrations mentioned above endorse the fact that Prophet Muhammad did not change the direction of prayer to Bait Al-Muqaddas on his own choice, rather he was guided to do so.

When the Holy Prophet changed the direction of prayer towards Bait Al- Muqaddas (Jerusalem), it follows that the polytheists of Makkah should have severely objected to it. However, they did not. The reason for this is mentioned as:

كان رسول اللّٰه صلى اللّٰه عليه وسلم يصلي وهو بمكة نحو بيت المقدس، والكعبة بين يديه، وبعد ما هاجر إلى المدينة ستة عشر شھرا، ثم صرف إلى الكعبة. ¹⁰

The Holy Prophet would offer prayer (while facing) in the direction of Bait Al- Muqaddas (Jerusalem), when he was in Makkah, while keeping the Ka'bah in front of him. 16 months after the migration, he turned his face (while praying) towards the Holy Ka'bah.

The same has been narrated by Buzar, ¹¹ Al-Tabrani, ¹² and many other Muhadditheen as well. It shows that since the Holy Prophet used to pray while facing the direction of Bait Al-Muqaddas (Jerusalem), by keeping the Holy Ka'bah in front of him, none of the polytheists objected to it.

Resistance by Barrah ibn Ma'roor

When the delegation of Madinah was coming to meet the Holy Prophet for the second pledge of Al-Aqaba, the leader of the Ansar, Barrah ibn Ma'roor ibn Khansa said that he would not turn his back towards the Holy Ka'bah and would not face in the direction of any other (for prayer) place beside it. The people who were alongside him, told him that it was not a good idea, and that they would not pray while facing any other Qiblah (except Bait Al-Muqaddas, as the Holy Prophet had instructed them to do so). He refused to accept their opinion and continued to offer prayer while facing in the direction of the Holy Ka'bah, while others prayed in the direction of Al-Sham (West, the direction of Bait Al-Muqaddas). When they reached Makkah, Barrah ibn Ma'roor consulted his nephew and told him that he was not comfortable with what he had done in this journey. His nephew told him to consult this matter with the Holy Prophet. Hence, he went to the Holy Prophet and told him what he had done. Prophet Muhammad told him that he should have remained patient and continued to offer prayer while facing the direction of Bait Al-Muqaddas, as Allah Almighty had ordered it. ¹³

Qiblah of the Muslims at the Time of Migration

With the efforts of Mus'ab ibn Umair and other missionaries, Islam had started to spread in Yathrib and its nearby areas. Hence, the Muhajireen, who had come to Yathrib before Prophet Muhammad , had constructed mosques in these areas so that Muslims could come there and offer prayer. ¹⁴ These mosques faced in the direction of Bait Al- Muqaddas (Jerusalem). This is mentioned as:

وكان من يقدم رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إلى المدينة، بعد أبى سلمة بن عبد الأسد، ومن نزلوا عليه بقباء، بنوا مسجدا يصلون فيه، والصلاة يومئذ إلى بيت المقدس، فجعلوا قبلته إلى ناحية بيت المقدس، فلما قدم رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم صلى بھم فيه. ¹⁵

Those people who came towards Madinah before the Holy Prophet and after Abu Salama ibn Abdul Asad, settled in Quba. They built a mosque over there and prayed in it. At that time, we prayed while facing in the direction of Bait Al- Muqaddas (Jerusalem). When the Holy Prophet came, he prayed with us in it.

Therefore, at the time of the migration, the Qiblah which the Muslims faced while offering prayer was Bait Al- Muqaddas (Jerusalem), and after 16 to 17 months, the Qiblah was reverted to the Holy Ka'bah. ¹⁶

The Holy Ka'bah Reinstated as the Qiblah

After offering prayer while facing in the direction of Bait Al-Muqaddas (Jerusalem) yielded no fruitful results from the Jews for 16-17 months, Prophet Muhammad yearned to face the Holy Ka’bah while offering prayer instead of Bait Al-Muqaddas (Jerusalem). ¹⁷ He used to look towards the sky again and again, wanting Allah Almighty to change the Qiblah. As the Holy Quran states:

قَدْ نَرَى 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 يَعْمَلُونَ144¹⁸

(O Beloved!) We have been watching your radiant face turning frequently towards heaven. So, We will indeed make you turn towards that Qibla (direction of Prayer) with which you feel pleased. So, turn your face towards the Masjid Al-Haram (Ka'bah) now. And, wherever you are, (O Muslims,) turn your faces towards it. And those who have been given the Book definitely know that this (commandment of changing the Qibla) is the truth from their Lord. And Allah is not unaware of the works they are doing.

It is cited that Ka'bah was restored as the Qiblah in the middle of Salat (prayer). Prophet Muhammad was leading the prayer and two of the four Rak’ats had already been offered. The initial two rak’ats of the prayer (Salat) had been offered while facing in the direction of Bait Al-Muqaddas (Jerusalem), then Allah Almighty’s order was revealed. Thus, the remaining two rak’ats of the prayer were offered while facing in the direction of Ka’bah. Some narrations suggest that it was the prayer of Zohar, in which Allah Almighty revealed orders to change the Qiblah ¹⁹ while a more authentic source states it happened during the Asar prayer. ²⁰

When the Qiblah was reverted to Ka'bah, the Jews started mocking the Muslims and their religion. In response, the following verse was revealed:

سَيَقُولُ السُّفَهَاءُ مِنَ النَّاسِ مَا وَلَّاهُمْ عَنْ قِبْلَتِهِمُ الَّتِي كَانُوا عَلَيْهَا قُلْ لِلَّهِ الْمَشْرِقُ وَالْمَغْرِبُ يَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ142²¹

Now the foolish (idolators, hypocrites and Jews) will say: ‘What has turned away these (Muslims) from their Qibla Bait Al-Muqaddas (Jerusalem) in to which they used to face (before)?’ Say: ‘The east and the west (all) belong to Allah alone. He guides whom He pleases to the straight path.’

This change of Qiblah was done in the mosque of Bani Salmah, which was later on named as Masjid-e-Qiblatain (Mosque with two Qiblahs), ²² and was a test for the believers, in which they remained firm and sincere in following the commands of Allah Almighty and Prophet Muhammad . The companions of the Holy Prophet , who were always willing to sacrifice their lives for him, passed the test ²³ and also informed others about this change.

• ¹  Holy Quran, Aale Imran (The Family of Imran) 3: 96
• ²  Abu Al-Baqa Muhammad ibn Ahmed ibn Al-Zia Al-Makki (2004), Tareekh Makkah Al-Musharrafa wal Masjid Al-Haram wal Madinah Al-Sharifa wal Qabar Al-Sharif, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Pg. 27.
• ³  Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Yasar Al-Madani (1978), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Ishaq, Dar Al-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Pg. 94.
• ⁴  Holy Quran Al-Baqarah (The Cow) 2: 127
• ⁵  Abu Al-Fadl Ahmed ibn Ali Al-Asqalani (1379 A.H.), Fath Al-Bari Sharah Sahih Al-Bukhari, Dar Al-Ma’rifah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 502.
• ⁶  Holy Quran, Al-Baqarah (The Cow) 2: 142
• ⁷  Abdullah ibn Abbas (N.D.), Tanveer Al-Miqbas Min Tafsir ibn Abbas, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Pg. 20.
• ⁸  Abu Al-Qasim Mahmood ibn Amr Jarullah Al-Zamakhshari (1407 A.H.), Al-Kashaaf ‘An Haqaiq Ghawamid Al-Tanzeel, Dar Al-Kitab Al-Arabi, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 198.
• ⁹  Nasir Uddin ibn Umer Al-Sheerazi Al-Baidawi (2013), Tafsir Al-Baidawi, Dar Al-Ma'rifa, Beirut, Lebanon, Pg. 108.
• ¹⁰  Abu Abdullah Ahmed ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal (2001), Musnad Al-Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal, Hadith: 2991, Muassasah Al-Risala, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 5, Pg. 136.
• ¹¹  Abu Bakr Ahmed ibn Amr Al-A'taki Al-Buzar (1988-2009), Musnad Al-Buzar, Hadith: 4825, Maktaba Al-Uloom wa Al-Hikam, Madinah, Saudi Arabia, Vol. 11, Pg. 107.
• ¹²  Abu Al-Qasim Sulaiman ibn Ahmed Al-Tabarani (1994), Mu'jam Al-Kabeer, Hadith: 11066, Maktaba ibn Al-Taymiyyah, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 11, Pg. 67.
• ¹³  Abu Hatim Muhammad ibn Habban Al-Tamimi Al-Darmi (1417 A.H.), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah wa Akhbar Al-Khulafah, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Thaqafiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 119-120.
• ¹⁴  Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Ahmed Al-Halabi (1427 A.H.), Al-Seerah Al-Halabiyah, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 2, Pg. 76.
• ¹⁵  Ahmed ibn Yahya ibn Jabir ibn Dawood Al-Baladhuri (1996), Jumal Min Ansab Al-Ashraf, Dar Al-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 263-264.
• ¹⁶  Muhammad ibn Ismail Al-Bukhari (1999), Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith: 40, Dar Al-Salam, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Pg. 10.
• ¹⁷  Muhammad ibn Ismail Al-Bukhari (1999), Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith: 7252, Dar Al-Salam, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Pg. 1248.
• ¹⁸  Holy Quran, Al-Baqarah (The Cow) 2: 144
• ¹⁹  Muhammad ibn Jareer Al-Tabari (2000), Jam’e Al-Bayan fi Taweel Al-Quran, Muassasah Al-Risala, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 3, Pg. 135.
• ²⁰  Muhammad ibn Ismail Al-Bukhari (1999), Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith: 40, Dar Al-Salam, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Pg. 10.
• ²¹  Holy Quran, Al-Baqarah (The Cow) 2: 142
• ²²  Abul Fida Ismael ibn Kathir Al-Damishqi (2009), Tafsir Al-Quran Al-Azeem, Dar Taiba lil Nashr wal Tawzi, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Pg. 457.
• ²³  Abul Fida Ismael ibn Kathir Al-Damishqi (2009), Tafsir Al-Quran Al-Azeem, Dar Taiba lil Nashr wal Tawzi, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Pg. 461.