سَيَقُولُ السُّفَهَاءُ مِنَ النَّاسِ مَا وَلَّاهُمْ عَنْ قِبْلَتِهِمُ الَّتِي كَانُوا عَلَيْهَا قُلْ لِلَّهِ الْمَشْرِقُ وَالْمَغْرِبُ يَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ ﴿۱۴۲﴾ وَكَذَلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا لِتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيدًا وَمَا جَعَلْنَا الْقِبْلَةَ الَّتِي كُنْتَ عَلَيْهَا إِلَّا لِنَعْلَمَ مَنْ يَتَّبِعُ الرَّسُولَ مِمَّنْ يَنْقَلِبُ عَلَى عَقِبَيْهِ وَإِنْ كَانَتْ لَكَبِيرَةً إِلَّا عَلَى الَّذِينَ هَدَى اللَّهُ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُضِيعَ إِيمَانَكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِالنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ ﴿۱۴۳﴾
﴾142﴿ Sayaqoolus sufahaaa'u minan naasi maa wallaahum 'an Qiblatihimul latee kaanoo 'alaihaa; qul lillaahil mashriqu walmaghrib; yahdee mai yashaaa'u ilaa Siraatim Mustaqeem
﴾143﴿ Wa kazaalika ja'alnaakum ummatanw wasatal litakoonoo shuhadaaa'a 'alan naasi wa yakoonar Rasoolu 'alaikum shaheedaa; wa maa ja'alnal qiblatal latee kunta 'alaihaaa illaa lina'lama mai yattabi'ur Rasoola mimmai yanqalibu 'alaa 'aqibayh; wa in kaanat lakabeeratan illaa 'alal lazeena hadal laah; wa maa kaanal laahu liyudee'a eemaanakum; innal laaha binnaasi la Ra'oofur Raheem
﴾142﴿ The foolish among the people will soon 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 whomever He wills to the straight path.”
﴾143﴿ And thus We made you a justly balanced nation, so that you may bear witness to the truth before mankind, and the Messenger (May Allah bless him and give him peace) may be a witness over you. And We did not make the qiblah upon which you were before, except to distinguish the one who follows the Messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and give him peace) from the one who turns back on his heels. Even though this change of qiblah is indeed difficult, it is not so for those whom Allah has guided. And Allah would never let your prayers go to waste. Surely, Allah is Most Kind and Most Merciful to the people.
[142] From this verse begins the third section of this topic, continuing until verse 165. In it is the response to the eighth and ninth questions. The eighth question concerns the change of the qiblah, and four responses are given: two general and two detailed. After that, five points are presented to encourage and strengthen belief. The ninth question concerns Safa and Marwah. Then follows a warning and a threat for those who conceal the truth.
Note: In this verse (2:142) is evidence that whoever objects to the actions of the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) and the Companions is a fool.
("To Allah belong the East and the West") — this is the first general reason for the change of the qiblah, showing that all directions are under the control of Allah. In every command of Allah there is guidance.
("The foolish ones") — this generally refers to the Jews and hypocrites.
("They will say") — this statement is either before the change of the qiblah and the sīn (س) is for future prediction, or it is after the change and the sīn is for emphasis, and yaqūl means qāla.
("Their qiblah") — this refers to Bayt al-Maqdis, which was the qiblah for sixteen or seventeen months by a non-recited revelation, and then it was abrogated.
("To the straight path") — this indicates that turning to the qiblah by Allah’s command is the very meaning of the straight path.
[143] What is meant by testimony or bearing witness is giving testimony on the Day of Judgment on behalf of other prophets regarding their nations, and our Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) will testify to their purity. This is mentioned in a noble hadith. Or, what is meant by testimony is the declaration of truth in this world — that the noble Companions learned the truth from the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) and conveyed it to other nations. This interpretation was written by Samarqandi.
(And We did not make...) — This is the second detailed reason for changing the qiblah.
Note 1: From this verse it is understood that changing habits to follow the sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and give him peace) is difficult, except for those whom Allah makes aware of its benefit — for them, it becomes easy.
Note 2: Any action based on faith can be referred to as faith.
(A justly balanced nation) — “Middle” means just and fair, and the foremost example of this is the noble Companions.
The third meaning of witnesses is that they testify to someone's righteousness — if they give good testimony, that person will enter Paradise, and if they give bad testimony, that person will go to Hell. As stated in the hadith: "You are Allah’s witnesses on earth."
(The qiblah which you were upon) — What is meant here is Bayt al-Maqdis. “Made” can mean either preordained or changed. “You were” either retains its literal meaning or refers to the Ka‘bah, where "made" would mean appointed and "you were" would mean "you are".
(Turns back on his heels) — This indicates apostasy without thought or reflection.
(Your faith) — What is meant here is prayer, which is a practice of faith.
(So that We may know) — This means to distinguish or make manifest. The actual knowledge is an eternal attribute of Allah.