The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page 211
PT. 1 AL-BAQARAH CH. 2 3 وَلِلَّهِ الْمَشْرِقُ وَالْمَغْرِبُ فَأَيْنَمَا تُوَلُّوْا To Allah belong the East. 116 فَثَمَّ وَجْهُ اللهِ اِنَّ اللهَ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ and the West; so withersoever you turn, there will be the face of Allah. Surely, Allah is Bountiful, All-Knowing. 122 "2:143; 26:29; 55:18. Commentary: punishment of disgrace is typical of and purpose (Aqrab). the offence; for a person who first builds a temple or a mosque with the object that the name of God may be remembered in it and then proceeds to prevent people from worshipping Him therein cannot but bring upon himself humiliation and disgrace in the eyes of the world. The words also contain the prophecy about a disbelievers of Mecca who prevented the Muslims from entering the Ka'bah. The prophecy was fulfilled when Mecca was taken and the infidels met with humiliation and disgrace. Finally, it may be noted that the verse should not be understood to mean that the Quran advocates the unqualified access for all sorts of persons to all places of worship without regard to circumstances. In fact, only those who wish to use them for the specific purpose of God's worship and have no ulterior motive are allowed. 122. Important Words: (there) is a word generally used to denote a place that is remote from the speaker, unlike the word to which denotes a place that is near (Aqrab). (face of God). As explained under 2:113 the word means: (1) face; (2) attention; (3) the thing itself; (4) direction; and (5) object 211 This verse embodies a prophecy about the great and bright future of Islam. The Faithful are told that, being the teachers and proclaimers of truth and the bearers of Allah's standard, success would attend them wherever they went, and that through them Islam would spread all over the world, in the East as well as in the West. This prophecy was made at a time when the early Muslims a mere handful of men were being subjected to all sorts of trials and hardships and the future looked quite dark for them. But the prophecy was fulfilled not long after when, with the Fall of Mecca, the whole of Arabia entered the fold of Islam and within less than a century the flag of Islam was flying in almost all the lands of the then known world. The words, to Allah belong the East and the West, also hint that Islam was to spread first in the East, and then, after the advent of the Promised Messenger of the Latter Days, it will begin to penetrate the West. So let the West prepare for it, as the time is not far off. The words, so whithersoever you turn, there will be the face of Allah, throw light on the very high stage of spiritual development to which the