Verse 2:143 | inQuran

English - Hazrat Molavi Sher Ali ^ra

The foolish among the people will say: ‘What has turned them away from their Qiblah which they followed?’ Say: ‘To Allah belong the East and the West. He guides whom He pleases to the right path.’

English - Five Volume Translation

The foolish among the people will say: ‘What has turned them away from their Qiblah which they followed?’ Say: [a]‘To Allah belong the East and the West. He guides whom He pleases to the right path’.[149]

See 2:116.

Important Words:

قبلتھم (their Qiblah). The word قبلة is derived from قبل. They say قبل علی الشیء i.e. he began the thing and stuck to it. قبل المکانmeans, he came facing the house. اقبل علیه means, he advanced facing him. اقبل فلانا الشیء means, he put the thing before such a one or in front of him. قبلة means: (1) direction.; (2) direction to which a man turns while praying; (3) anything which one faces; (4) the Ka‘bah at Mecca to which Muslims turn their faces when praying (Aqrab).

Commentary:

In the preceding verses the Quran spoke of the people that have gone before, at the same time hinting at the difference between their deeds and those of the Muslims. In the present verse it introduces a subject in which the Muslims differ from other People of the Book, i.e. the subject of قبلة (Qiblah).

It is a usual practice with the Quran that it does not abruptly give any new commandment such as might appear hard to men. It generally begins by preparing the ground for the acceptance of such commandment by giving arguments in its favour and answering some objections that might possibly arise against it. See also 2:184, 185.

Similar is the case here. As the commandment regarding the change of Qiblah was likely to prove a stumbling block for some people, so the ground is prepared by making a general observation to the effect that the selection of a particular direction does not really matter. What matters is the spirit of obedience to God on the one hand and unity among the Faithful on the other. The clause, To Allah belong the East and the West, signifies that the selection of the East or the West is not of much importance, the real object being God only. The selection of a particular direction is primarily meant for the purpose of unity among the Faithful. But the direction must also be good, and God was now going to choose a good direction for the Muslims and the objections of the people would prove their own folly.

English - Short Commentary Translation

The fools among the people will say: ‘What has turned them away from their Qiblah which they followed?’ Say, ‘To Allah [a]belong the East and the West.[159] He guides whom He pleases to the right path.’

اردو ترجمہ مرزا طاہر احمد خلیفة المسیح الرابعؒ

لوگوں میں سے بے وقوف ضرور کہیں گے کہ کس چیز نے اُن کو اپنے اس قبلہ سے پھیر دیا ہے جس پر وہ (پہلے) قائم تھے۔ تُو کہہ دے مشرق اور مغرب اللہ ہی کے ہیں۔ وہ جسے چاہتا ہے صراطِ مستقیم کی طرف ہدایت دیتا ہے۔

French

Les insensés d’entre les hommes diront : « Qui les a détournés de leur Qiblah qu’ils suivaient autrefois ? » Dis-leur : « A Allāh appartiennent l’Est et l’Ouest. Il guide qui Il veut vers le droit chemin. »

German

Die Toren unter dem Volk werden sprechen: "Was hat sie abwendig gemacht von ihrer Qibla*, die sie befolgten?" Sprich: "Allahs ist der Osten und der Westen. Er leitet, wen Er will, auf den geraden Weg."

Chinese

无知的人将会说: “什么使他们转变了他们原来奉守的朝向?” 你说: “[c]东方和西方都是安拉的。他按照自己的意旨领导人们走上正道。”

Italian

Gli stolti tra la gente diranno: «Che cosa li ha allontanati dalla loro Qibla che seguivano?» Di': «Ad Allah appartengono l'oriente e l'occidente. Egli guida chi vuole sulla retta via.»

Spanish

Los insensatos de entre el pueblo dirán: “¿Qué les ha hecho apartarse de la Kibla que seguían?”. Diles: “A Al-lah pertenece el Oriente y el Occidente. Él guía, a quienes le place, por el camino recto”.

اردو تفسیرِ صغیر

کم عقل لوگ ضرور کہیں گے کہ ان (مسلمانوں) کو ان کے اس قبلہ سے جس پر یہ (پہلے) تھے کس چیز نے پھرا دیا ہے (جب وہ ایسا کہیں) تو (ان سے) کہنا کہ مشرق و مغرب[1] اللہ ہی کے ہیں۔ وہ جسے چاہتا ہے ایک سیدھی راہ دکھا دیتا ہے۔

اردو ترجمہ مودودی

نادان لوگ ضرور کہیں گے : اِنہیں کیا ہوا کہ پہلے یہ جس قبلے کی طرف رخ کر کے نماز پڑھتے تھے، اس سے یکایک پھر گئے؟ اے نبی، ان سے کہو: "مشرق اور مغرب سب اللہ کے ہیں اللہ جسے چاہتا ہے، سیدھی راہ دکھا دیتا ہے

English - Sahih

The foolish among the people will 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 whom He wills to a straight path."

اردو ترجمہ احمد علی

بے وقوف لوگ کہیں گے کہ کس چیز نے مسلمانوں کو ان کے قبلہ سے پھیر دیا جس پر وہ تھے کہہ دو مشرق اور مغرب الله ہی کا ہے وہ جسے چاہتا ہے سیدھا راستہ دکھاتا ہے

English - Talal Itani

Will say the foolish ones from the people, "What (has) turned them from their direction of prayer which they were used to [on it]." Say, "For Allah (is) the east and the west. He guides whom He wills to a path straight."

Chinese Commentary ^*

Cross Refs:

c

2:116.

اردہ تفصیرِ صغیر نوٹس ^*

1

تحویل قبلہ کا واقعہ مدینہ منورہ میں ہوا۔ مکہ تک کوئی مشکل نہ تھی۔ آنحضرت صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ایسی جگہ پر کھڑے ہوتے تھے کہ سامنے کعبہ بھی رہتا تھا اور بیت المقدس بھی۔ یہودی اس پر خوش ہوتے تھے کہ ہمارے قبلہ کی طرف بھی رُخ ہے۔ جب آنحضرت صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم مدینہ میں تشریف لائے تو چند ماہ بعد الہام ہوا کہ کعبہ کی طرف منہ کرو‘ خواہ بیت المقدس کی طرف سے رخ بدل جائے۔ سو آپ نے ایسا ہی کیا۔ اس پر بیوقوفوں نے اعتراض کیا جس کا جواب ان آیات میں دیا گیا ہے کہ کعبہ اپنی ذات میں کوئی چیز نہیں۔ اصل چیز خداتعالیٰ کی ذات ہے اور اس کے لئے مشرق و مغرب برابر ہیں۔

English - Arberry

The fools among the people will say, 'What has turned them from the direction they were facing in their prayers aforetime?' Say: "To God belong the East and the West; He guides whomsoever He will to a straight path.'

English - Maududi

Of course, the foolish people will say, "What has turned them abruptly away from the giblah towards which they formerly used to turn their faces in prayer?" Tell them, O Messenger, `'East and West all belong to Allah; He shows the Right Way to anyone He wills."

English - Ahmed Ali

The foolish will now ask and say: "What has made the faithful turn away from the Qiblah towards which they used to pray?" Say: "To God belong the East and the West. He guides who so wills to the path that is straight."

English - Yusuf Ali

The fools among the people will say: "What hath turned them from the Qibla to which they were used?" Say: To Allah belong both east and West: He guideth whom He will to a Way that is straight.

English - Five Volume Commentary ^*

Cross Refs:

a

See 2:116.

149

Important Words:

قبلتھم (their Qiblah). The word قبلة is derived from قبل. They say قبل علی الشیء i.e. he began the thing and stuck to it. قبل المکانmeans, he came facing the house. اقبل علیه means, he advanced facing him. اقبل فلانا الشیء means, he put the thing before such a one or in front of him. قبلة means: (1) direction.; (2) direction to which a man turns while praying; (3) anything which one faces; (4) the Ka‘bah at Mecca to which Muslims turn their faces when praying (Aqrab).

Commentary:

In the preceding verses the Quran spoke of the people that have gone before, at the same time hinting at the difference between their deeds and those of the Muslims. In the present verse it introduces a subject in which the Muslims differ from other People of the Book, i.e. the subject of قبلة (Qiblah).

It is a usual practice with the Quran that it does not abruptly give any new commandment such as might appear hard to men. It generally begins by preparing the ground for the acceptance of such commandment by giving arguments in its favour and answering some objections that might possibly arise against it. See also 2:184, 185.

Similar is the case here. As the commandment regarding the change of Qiblah was likely to prove a stumbling block for some people, so the ground is prepared by making a general observation to the effect that the selection of a particular direction does not really matter. What matters is the spirit of obedience to God on the one hand and unity among the Faithful on the other. The clause, To Allah belong the East and the West, signifies that the selection of the East or the West is not of much importance, the real object being God only. The selection of a particular direction is primarily meant for the purpose of unity among the Faithful. But the direction must also be good, and God was now going to choose a good direction for the Muslims and the objections of the people would prove their own folly.

English - Short Commentary Notes ^*

Cross Refs:

a

See 2:116.

159

In the foregoing several verses a pointed reference was made to the fact that in pursuance of a Divine plan the Patriarch Abraham had settled his wife Hagar and son Ishmael in the bleak and barren Valley of Mecca. When Ishmael grew up, Abraham rebuilt the Ka‘bah with his assistance and while rebuilding it prayed to God to raise among the Arabs a great Prophet, who should be humanity’s Guide and Leader for all time. When, however, in the fulness of time that great Prophet appeared, God’s eternal plan came into operation and the Ka‘bah was made the Qiblah for the whole of mankind. But while at Mecca, the Holy Prophet, in conformity with his old practice and also by Divine command, turned his face in Prayer to the Temple at Jerusalem which was the Qiblah of the Israelite Prophets. In Medina also he kept facing towards Jerusalem. But after a few months he was commanded by Divine revelation to turn his face towards the Ka‘bah. This was objected to by the Jews. The verse under comment fur

English - Pickthall

The foolish of the people will say: What hath turned them from the qiblah which they formerly observed? Say: Unto Allah belong the East and the West. He guideth whom He will unto a straight path.

English - Muhammad Ali ^ra

The fools among the people will say: "What has turned them from their qiblah which they had?" Say: The East and the West belong only to Allah; He guides whom He pleases to the right path.

English - Sir Muhammad Zafrullah Khan ^ra

Foolish people will say: What has caused the Muslims to turn away from the Qibla towards which they faced when in Prayer? Tell them: To Allah belong the East and the West. He guides whom He pleases to the right path.

Verse 143

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