143

Thus, in the same way that We guided you to it, We appointed you, O community of Muhammad "sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam" , a midmost community, excellent and upright, that you might be witnesses to the people, on the Day of Resurrection, that their messengers (rusul) delivered [the Message] to them; and that the Messenger (rasūl) might be a witness to you, that he delivered [the Message] to you, and We did not appoint, make, the direction, for you now, the direction, you were facing, that is the Ka'ba: the Prophet "sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam" used to face it in prayer, but when he emigrated he was commanded to face the Holy House [of Jerusalem], in order to win the hearts of the Jews. He prayed in this direction for sixteen or seventeen months before he changed direction; except that We might know, [that it become] manifest knowledge, who followed the Messenger (rasūl), and believed in him, from him who turned on his heels, and returned to unbelief doubting the religion and thinking that the Prophet "sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam" was confused about this issue; and a number of them apostatised as a result of this- though it, the change of direction, were (wa-in, 'though', is softened, and its noun apocopated, originally being: wa-innahā) a grave thing, troublesome for people, save for those, of them, whom Allahu ta’ālā has guided; but Allahu ta’ālā would never cause your faith, that is, your prayers towards the Holy House [of Jerusalem], to be wasted, but He will reward you for them (the reason that this [verse] was revealed was that some had asked about the status of those that had died before the change of direction [of prayer]); truly, Allahu ta’ālā is Gentle with, believing, people, Merciful, when He does not let their deeds go to waste (al-ra'fa means 'intensity of mercy', and is mentioned first to allow for the end rhyme of the verse [with the preceding one]).