Does not the statement that the Prophet's -peace be upon him- turning towards Jerusalem was by divine command to win over the hearts of the Jews contradict the noble verse: "And We did not make the qiblah which you used to face except that We might make evident who would follow the Messenger from who would turn back on his heels. And indeed, it was difficult except for those whom Allah had guided. And never would Allah have caused your faith to be lost. Indeed Allah is, to the people, Kind and Merciful," which mentions only one reason?
The reason mentioned in the verse: "save that We might know who follows the Messenger from him who turns on his heels" is for changing the Qiblah from Jerusalem to the Kaaba. As for some scholars stating that winning over the hearts of the Jews was to explain the wisdom behind the initial direction towards Jerusalem, the two matters are different.
Al-Tabari stated in his : "We did not make your turning away from the Qiblah you were facing, and your redirection to another, except as Allah Almighty said: 'And We did not make the vision which We showed you except as a trial for the people.' Likewise, the first Qiblah, which was towards Jerusalem, if it had not been turned away from to the Kaaba, there would have been no trial or test for anyone in it."
Ibn Ashour indicated that the Prophet's (peace be upon him) facing the Qiblah of the Jews was to cut off their excuse, and that the verse refers to preparing for the abrogation of facing Jerusalem.
Scholars differed on whether the initial turning towards Jerusalem was by divine revelation or by the Prophet's (peace be upon him) . Based on the second possibility, some went on to say that the Prophet's intention was to win over the Jews. Al-Tabari narrated an account from Ikrimah and Al- Al-Basri that the Prophet (peace be upon him) faced it for seventeen months so they would believe in him, and from Abu Al-Aliyah that the Prophet (peace be upon him) chose Jerusalem to win over the People of the Book. Others held that this act was by a divine command from Allah Almighty.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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