'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful'

His saying, exalted is He:

﴿And who is more unjust than one who prevents the name of Allah from being mentioned in His mosques and strives to ruin them? Those - it is not for them to enter them except in fear. For them in this world is disgrace, and they will have in the Hereafter a great punishment﴾ ﴿And to Allah belongs the east and the west. So wherever you turn, there is the face of Allah. Indeed, Allah is All-Encompassing and Knowing﴾

And His saying, exalted is He: ﴿And who is more unjust﴾. The word "

," is raised as the subject and

'Aynama' is a condition, and 'tuwallū' is made jussive by it. The answer is in His saying: 'fa thamma'. The meaning is: wherever you turn towards Him, because 'wallā' - although its predominant usage is to mean 'to turn away' - implies that it accepts turning towards a direction. You say: 'wallaytu 'an kadhā wa ilā kadhā'. Al-Hasan read: 'tuwallū' with a fatḥah on the tā and the lām. 'Thumma' is established on the fatḥah, and it is in the position of نصب as an adverb. 'Wajh Allah' means that which He has directed us towards, as you say: 'safartu fi wajh kadhā', meaning in the direction of kadhā. People have differed in interpreting the 'wajh' that has been attributed to Allah, the Exalted, in several places in the Qur'an. The experts said: that refers to existence, and the expression 'wajh' is a metaphor in the speech of the Arabs, since the face is the most apparent of the limbs in a witness and the most honored in status. Some of the imāms said: that is a fixed attribute by hearing, additional to what reason necessitates of the attributes of the Eternal, the Exalted. Abu al-Ma'ālī weakened this statement. In some instances, such as this verse, it is intended by 'wajh' the direction in which His pleasure is found and upon which His reward lies, as you say: 'tasaddaqtu liwajh Allah, the Exalted'. It is particularly intended in this verse that 'wajh' refers to the direction towards which He directed us in the qiblah, according to what will come in one of the sayings. Abu Mansūr said in al-Muqni': it is possible that 'wajh' here refers to honor, as you say: 'fulān wajh al-qawm', meaning the place of their nobility. The implication is: 'fa thamma jalāl Allah wa 'aẓamatuh'.

The commentators differed regarding the reason for this verse. Qatadah said: Allah permitted His Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, by this verse that Muslims may pray wherever they wish. The Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, chose Bayt al-Maqdis at that time, then all of that was abrogated by the turning towards the Ka'bah. Mujahid and al-Dhahhak said: Its meaning is an indication towards the Ka'bah, meaning wherever you are from the east and the west, you are able to turn towards the Ka'bah, which is the direction of Allah that He directed you towards. Thus, it abrogates Bayt al-Maqdis. Ibn Zayd said: The Jews had praised the prayer of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, towards Bayt al-Maqdis, and they said: No one is guided except by us. When he was turned towards the Ka'bah, the Jews said: What has turned them away from their qiblah? So the verse was revealed: "And to Allah belongs the east and the west." Ibn 'Umar said: This verse was revealed regarding the prayer of the voluntary prayer during travel, wherever a person's mount turns. Al-Nakha'i said: The verse is general, wherever you turn in your actions and endeavors, "there is the face of Allah," meaning the place of His pleasure and reward, the direction of His mercy which is reached through obedience. Abdullah ibn 'Amir ibn Rabi'ah said: This was revealed regarding one who strived for the qiblah and made a mistake. A narration was reported regarding this by 'Amir ibn Rabi'ah who said: "We were with the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, on a journey on a dark night. A group sought the qiblah and they identified signs. When they awoke, they realized they had made a mistake. They informed the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, about that, and this verse was revealed." Some people mentioned this narration as if the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, was not with the people on the journey, and that is a mistake.

Qatadah also said: This verse was revealed regarding the Negus, because when he died, the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, called the Muslims to pray for him. Some said: How can we pray for one who never prayed towards the qiblah? So this verse was revealed, meaning that the Negus sought the face of Allah even if he did not reach the direction of the qiblah.

Ibn Jubayr said: The verse was revealed regarding supplication when it was revealed: "Call upon Me; I will respond to you." The Muslims said: Where should we call? So it was revealed: "So wherever you turn, there is the face of Allah."

Al-Mahdawi said: It is said that this verse is connected in meaning to the one before it, meaning that the destruction of a mosque does not prevent you from performing acts of worship. For indeed, the mosque specified for prayer, if it is destroyed, "there is the face of Allah" present wherever you turn. He also said: It is said that the verse was revealed when the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, was turned away from the House.

And "wide" means extensive in mercy, "knowledgeable" means where He places it. It is said that "wide" here means that He expands upon His servants in judgment, His religion is easy, knowledgeable of the intentions which are the essence of the action, even if their appearances differ in qiblah and what resembles it.