Did the prophets of the Children of Israel pray towards Jerusalem, even though it was not a Qibla through revelation? And is it understood from the Hadith: "They do not envy us for anything as much as they envy us for Friday, to which Allah guided us and from which they went astray, and for the Qibla to which Allah guided us and from which they went astray..." that the Jews chose Jerusalem as their Qibla due to misguidance from Allah, or was it a revelation from Allah within the rulings of their religion?
The Hadith narrated by Imam Ahmad on the authority of Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, indicates the envy of the Jews towards Muslims regarding Friday, the Qibla, and saying "Ameen" behind the Imam, and clarifies that Allah does not love obscenity in speech. As for the reason for the Jews' deviation from the truth concerning the Sabbath and the Qibla, the Sabbath was imposed upon them due to their disagreement and obstinacy, as Allah guided them to Friday, but they refused and chose the Sabbath. As for the Qibla, there is nothing in revelation to indicate that facing Jerusalem was by divine command; rather, it is more likely that it was their own ijtihad (independent reasoning). Similarly, the Christians faced the East based on the ijtihad of their elders, not by divine command.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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