The foolish ones, who are light of heart, will say, and they are the Jews, due to their dislike of facing the Kaaba, and that they do not see the abrogation. It was said: the hypocrites, due to their eagerness to criticize and mock. It was said: the polytheists, who said he turned away from the qibla of his forefathers and then returned to it, and by Allah, they will surely return to their religion. If you say: what is the benefit in informing of their saying before it occurs? [Mawlid: 'What is the benefit in informing of their saying before it occurs... etc.'? Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:] For this reason, I have conducted a discussion among the observers regarding the implementation of what is such and free from opposition, so he will say: to avert the opponent before the adversary mentions it, and this is a brilliant point, the best evidence for its validity is this verse. Pay attention to it, for it is one of the interesting points. I said: Its benefit is that the surprise of the disliked is more severe, and knowing it before it occurs is further from confusion when it happens due to the prior preparation of the soul. The ready response before the need for it is more decisive against the opponent and more effective against his annoyance. And before the throwing, the arrow is aimed. What turned them away from their qibla, which is Bayt al-Maqdis, is that to Allah belongs the east and the west, meaning the lands of the east and the west, and the whole earth guides whom He wills among its people to a straight path, which is what wisdom and interest require, directing them at one time to Bayt al-Maqdis and at another to the Kaaba. And thus We have made you a middle nation, the best, which is a description by the name that is the middle of something. Therefore, it is equal in the singular and plural, masculine and feminine. And similar to his saying, blessings and peace be upon him: 'And give the thabj.' [The saying 'And give the thabj' is a language for 'give.'] He means the intermediary between the fat and the lean, described by thabj, which is the middle of the back, except that the truth is that the feminine is considered in accordance with the right of the description. It was said: for the best: middle [Mawlid: 'It was said for the best: middle... etc.' Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: This is what necessitated the metaphor in generalization] because the extremes quickly fall into defect, while the middles are protected and surrounded. From this is the saying of al-Tai: 'It was the protected middle that was surrounded by calamities until it became the extremes.' [And the swamp of death, I mean the bough, was cut for it... a multitude for the army of the earth, it was the protected middle that was surrounded by calamities until it became the extremes.] By Abu Tammam, addressing al-Mu'tasim. The ghayda: a place where water gathers. It collects there and then recedes, and trees and plants grow in it. The intended meaning here is the location of the army. And the bough: the name of a fortress of Babak al-Khormayi. And the 'armarm: a large army. And the breaches of the earth: its paths. And the mu'tasif: the one who deviates from the path due to its abundance. He likened that place to the ghayda in a mocking manner towards its companions, because it is associated with water, so he associated it with death. And he likened the army in submission to camels on the path of metaphor, and their fuel is imagination. And he used the middle as a metaphor for that which is not subject to defect because it is protected by the extremes, and calamities surrounded it, meaning the armies of al-Mu'tasim, until that ghayda became an extreme, and defects and misfortunes of the army reached it.] I rented a camel from a Bedouin in Mecca for Hajj, and he said: Give me from the best of it, meaning from the best of the dinars. Or from the just, because the middle is just between the extremes, not closer to one than the other. So that you may be witnesses over the people. It has been narrated that the nations on the Day of Resurrection will deny the conveying of the prophets, and Allah will demand the prophets to provide evidence that they have conveyed, and He knows best. Then the nation of Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, will be brought forth to testify. The nations will say: How did you know? They will say: We knew that by the informing of Allah in His Book, which speaks through the tongue of His truthful Prophet. Then Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, will be brought forth and asked about the state of his nation, and he will praise them and testify after the accusations.

In Sahih al-Bukhari from the narration of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri. He said, "Noah will be called on the Day of Resurrection and he will say, 'Here I am, and I am at Your service, O Lord.' He will be asked, 'Did you convey the message?' He will say, 'Yes.' Then it will be said to his nation, 'Did your messenger convey to you?' They will say, 'No warner has come to us.' He will say, 'Who will testify for you?' He will say, 'Muhammad and his nation.' They will testify that he conveyed the message. Then he recited (And thus We have made you a just nation) - the verse. Al-Bayhaqi narrated it in Al-Ba'th wa Al-Nushur from the narration of Abu Muawiya from Al-A'mash from Abu Salih from Abu Sa'id, who said: The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, said, 'A prophet will come on the Day of Resurrection with three or four people, and a man will come until a prophet comes and no one is with him. Then the nation of Muhammad will be called and they will testify that they conveyed the message.' It will be said to them, 'What do you know that they conveyed the message?' They will say, 'Our messenger came to us with a book in which he informed us that they had conveyed the message, and we believed.' It will be said, 'You have spoken the truth.' And that is the saying of Allah, the Exalted: (And thus We have made you a just nation)." And that is the saying of Allah, the Exalted: (So how will it be when We bring from every nation a witness and We bring you as a witness against these?). If you say: Why was it not said to you, 'A witness,' and his testimony is for them, not against them? [Mahamud, may Allah have mercy on him, said: 'If you say: Why was it not said to you,

Because the favor upon them is in both aspects. In the first, it is by establishing that they are witnesses, and in the second, it is by establishing that they are testified for with commendation, especially from this great Messenger. If a martyr had been mentioned first, the purpose would have shifted to gratitude towards the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, for being a martyr. The context of addressing them and expressing gratitude to them rejects this. Al-Zamakhshari took the specification from the precedence because it implies importance and care. This is often done in the midst of his speech, and there is a consideration in it. I said: Because the purpose in the first is to affirm their testimony over the nations, and in the other, it is their specification of having the Messenger as a witness against them. The phrase 'which you were upon' is not a description of the qibla, but rather the second object of the verb 'made.' He means: And We did not make the qibla the direction you were facing, which is the Kaaba, because the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, was praying in Mecca towards the Kaaba. Then he was commanded to pray towards the rock of Al-Aqsa after the migration to accommodate the Jews. Then he was turned back to the Kaaba. He says: And We did not make the qibla that you must face the direction you were facing first in Mecca, meaning: And We did not turn you back to it except as a test for the people and a trial to know who remains steadfast in Islam and truthful in it, from those who are on the edge and retreat back, as in His saying: 'And We did not make their count except as a trial for those who disbelieved' - the verse. It may also be a clarification of the wisdom in making Al-Aqsa its qibla. It means that your original matter is to face the Kaaba, and that your facing Al-Aqsa was a temporary matter for a purpose. And We made the qibla the direction you were upon before this time - which is Al-Aqsa - to test the people and see who follows the Messenger among them and who does not and turns away from him. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: His qibla in Mecca was Al-Aqsa, except that he would place the Kaaba between him and it. This was narrated by Ishaq, Ibn Sa'd, Al-Bazzar, and Al-Tabarani from the narration of Mujahid from Ibn Abbas: He said, 'The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, was praying in Mecca towards Al-Aqsa, with the Kaaba in front of him. After he migrated to Medina, for sixteen months.' Al-Bazzar said: No one knows that it was narrated from him except Al-A'mash, and no one from him except Abu Awanah. If you say: How did he say: 'So that We may know' when He has always been All-Knowing of that? I say: Its meaning is: So that We may know it in a way that relates to the reward, which is to know it as present and realized. And similarly: 'And when Allah knows those who strive among you and knows the patient.' It is said: So that the Messenger of Allah and the believers may know.

And knowledge is attributed to His essence, because they are His chosen ones and the people of closeness to Him. It is said: Its meaning is to distinguish the follower from the one who turns back, as He said: (So that Allah may distinguish the evil from the good). Thus, knowledge is placed in the position of distinction because knowledge leads to distinction. And indeed, it is a great matter; it is the conditional 'if' that requires the distinguishing 'lam'. The pronoun in: (it was) refers to what is indicated by His saying: (And We did not make the qiblah which you were on) regarding the turning back, or the change, or the setting. It may also refer to the qiblah (it is a great matter) as it is heavy and burdensome except for those whom Allah has guided, except for the steadfast and truthful in following the Messenger, whom Allah has favored and who were worthy of His favor. And Allah would not waste your faith, meaning your steadfastness in faith, and that you have not ceased nor doubted, but He has appreciated your deeds and prepared for you a great reward. It may be intended: And Allah would not leave your turning without knowing that leaving it would be a corruption and a waste of your faith. It is said: Whoever prayed towards Bayt al-Maqdis before the change, his prayer is not wasted. [Narrated by Abu Dawood and al-Tirmidhi. Al-Hakim authenticated it from the narration of Samak from Ikrimah from him.] Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: When the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, was directed towards the Ka'bah, they said: What about those who died before the change from among our brothers? Then this verse was revealed. Certainly, He is Compassionate and Merciful; He does not waste their rewards nor neglect what benefits them. It is narrated that al-Hajjaj said to al-Hasan: What do you think of Abu Turab? He recited the verse: (Except for those whom Allah has guided) and then said: And Ali is among them, for he is the cousin of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, and his son-in-law, and the closest to him, and the most beloved to him. And it is read: except to know, in the passive form. And the meaning of knowledge is understanding. It may also be that 'from' implies the meaning of inquiry regarding knowledge, as in saying: I knew whether Zaid is in the house or Amr. Ibn Abu Ishaq read (on his heels) with the qaf being silent. Al-Yazidi read (it is a great matter) in the nominative. The reasoning for this is that 'was' may be extra, as in the saying:

And neighbors of ours who were generous. [[So how if you pass by the house of a people ... and neighbors of ours who were generous.

By al-Farazdaq. He says: So how would the situation be if you passed by the house of a people and neighbors of ours were generous, thus 'were' is extra to indicate the past, and that the neighbors were there and then disappeared. And 'generous' - in the genitive - is an adjective for neighbors.]]

And the original is: And if it is a great matter, as in saying: If Zaid is certainly going, and if it was a great matter. And it is read: to waste with emphasis.