Surah 2 Al-Baqara — Ayah 145
وَلَئِنْ أَتَيْتَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ بِكُلِّ ءَايَةٍۢ مَّا تَبِعُوا۟ قِبْلَتَكَ ۚ وَمَآ أَنتَ بِتَابِعٍۢ قِبْلَتَهُمْ ۚ وَمَا بَعْضُهُم بِتَابِعٍۢ قِبْلَةَ بَعْضٍۢ ۚ وَلَئِنِ ٱتَّبَعْتَ أَهْوَآءَهُم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَكَ مِنَ ٱلْعِلْمِ ۙ إِنَّكَ إِذًۭا لَّمِنَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ
And if you brought to those who were given the Scripture every sign, they would not follow your qiblah. Nor will you be a follower of their qiblah. Nor would they be followers of one another's qiblah. So if you were to follow their desires after what has come to you of knowledge, indeed, you would then be among the wrongdoers.
wala-in atayta alladhīna ūtū l-kitāba bikulli āyatin mā tabiʿū qib'lataka wamā anta bitābiʿin qib'latahum wamā baʿḍuhum bitābiʿin qib'lata baʿḍin wala-ini ittabaʿta ahwāahum min baʿdi mā jāaka mina l-ʿil'mi innaka idhan lamina l-ẓālimīna
Word by word
- وَلَئِنْ wala-in And even if
- أَتَيْتَ atayta you come
- ٱلَّذِينَ alladhīna (to) those who
- أُوتُوا۟ ūtū were given
- ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ l-kitāba the Book
- بِكُلِّ bikulli with all
- ءَايَةٍۢ āyatin (the) signs
- مَّا mā not
- تَبِعُوا۟ tabiʿū they would follow
- قِبْلَتَكَ ۚ qib'lataka your direction of prayer
- وَمَآ wamā and not
- أَنتَ anta (will) you (be)
- بِتَابِعٍۢ bitābiʿin a follower
- قِبْلَتَهُمْ ۚ qib'latahum (of) their direction of prayer
- وَمَا wamā And not
- بَعْضُهُم baʿḍuhum some of them
- بِتَابِعٍۢ bitābiʿin (are) followers
- قِبْلَةَ qib'lata (of the) direction of prayer
- بَعْضٍۢ ۚ baʿḍin (of each) other
- وَلَئِنِ wala-ini And if
- ٱتَّبَعْتَ ittabaʿta you followed
- أَهْوَآءَهُم ahwāahum their desires
- مِّنۢ min from
- بَعْدِ baʿdi after
- مَا mā [what]
- جَآءَكَ jāaka came to you
- مِنَ mina of
- ٱلْعِلْمِ ۙ l-ʿil'mi the knowledge
- إِنَّكَ innaka indeed, you
- إِذًۭا idhan (would) then
- لَّمِنَ lamina (be) surely among
- ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ l-ẓālimīna the wrongdoers
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
The Stubbornness and Disbelief of the Jews
Allah describes the Jews' disbelief, stubbornness and defiance of what they know of the truth of Allah's Messenger ﷺ , that if the Prophet brought forward every proof to the truth of what he was sent with, they will never obey him or abandon following their desires. In another instance, Allah said:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ حَقَّتْ عَلَيْهِمْ كَلِمَةُ رَبِّكَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ - وَلَوْ جَآءَتْهُمْ كُلُّ ءايَةٍ حَتَّى يَرَوُاْ الْعَذَابَ الاٌّلِيمَ
(Truly, those, against whom the Word (wrath) of your Lord has been justified, will not believe. Even if every sign should come to them, until they see the painful torment.) (10:96, 97)
This is why Allah said here:
وَلَئِنْ أَتَيْتَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ الْكِتَـبَ بِكُلِّ ءَايَةٍ مَّا تَبِعُواْ قِبْلَتَكَ
(And even if you were to bring to the People of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) all the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), they would not follow your Qiblah (prayer direction)).
Allah's statement:
وَمَآ أَنتَ بِتَابِعٍ قِبْلَتَهُمْ
(...nor are you going to follow their Qiblah ), indicates the vigor with which Allah's Messenger ﷺ implements what Allah commanded him. Allah's statement also indicates that as much as the Jews adhere to their opinions and desires, the Prophet adheres by Allah's commands, obeying Him and following what pleases Him, and that he would never adhere to their desires in any case. Hence, praying towards Bayt Al-Maqdis was not because it was the Qiblah of the Jews, but because Allah had commanded it. Allah then warns those who knowingly defy the truth, because the proof against those who know is stronger than against other people. This is why Allah said to His Messenger and his Ummah:
وَلَئِنِ اتَّبَعْتَ أَهْوَآءَهُم مِّن بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَكَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ إِنَّكَ إِذَا لَّمِنَ الظَّـلِمِينَ
(Verily, if you follow their desires after that which you have received of knowledge (from Allah), then indeed you will be one of the wrongdoers.)