The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page 246
CH. 2 AL-BAQARAH PT. 2 شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ وَحَيْثُ مَا كُنتُمْ So, turn thy face towards the Sacred Mosque; and wherever فَوَتُوْا وُجُوهَكُمْ شَطْرَهُ وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ you be, turn your faces towards it. And they to whom the Book أوتُوا الْكِتَبَ لَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِنْ has been given know that this is رَّبِّهِمْ وَمَا اللهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا يَعْمَلُوْنَ. the truth from their Lord; and Allah is not unmindful of what they do. 151 "2:150, 151. it change direction or he made it turn towards a thing or away from it as the case may be (Aqrab). in Abraham's prayers with which the master or guardian of it; (2) he made Promised Prophet was to be SO closely associated. The faith of Muslims would, as it were, go in vain if they remained detached from the Ka'bah and did not inherit its blessings. 151. Important Words: قد (verily) means, already; sometimes; often; verily, etc. (Lane). حرم Sacred is derived from) الحرام which means, it was or became forbidden, prohibited or unlawful whether from sanctity or owing to its means, he حرمه الشيء. being injurious denied or refused him the thing. Thus حرام. قلب turning is derived from) تقلب They sayi. e. (1) he made the thing change direction; (2) he turned it about so that its face and back changed directions; (3) he turned it upside down; (4) he turned it inside out; (5) he changed its condition. The word (qallaba) gives almost the meaning but with greater intensification. means, the thing turned over and over, doing so much and repeatedly (Aqrab). The expression would therefore mean, turning thy face with eagerness and anxiety to receive an order. same (We will make thee turn) is derived from (wallā) which again is derived from (waliya). The expression, gives two distinct meanings: (1) he made him ruler or 246 means: (1) forbidden and unlawful; (2) sacred and inviolable (Aqrab). Sacred Mosque at Mecca, i. e. the Ka'bah. ,signifies المسجد الحرام Commentary: the While at Mecca, the Holy Prophet had orders to turn his face in Prayers towards the sacred Temple at Jerusalem. The Prophet, of course, obeyed the divine behest; but, as in his heart of hearts he desired the Ka'bah to be his Qiblah and had a sort of intuition that eventually he would be ordered to turn his face towards it, he generally tried to choose such a place for worship where he could keep both the sacred Temple at Jerusalem and the Sacred Mosque of Mecca before him. When,