Surah Al-Baqara (2) — Ayah 143

(Ayah 143)➊ The meaning of "wasat" is "middle." The best thing is also called "wasat" because the thing in the middle is the best. Here, it means "the best," as He said: «كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ اُمَّةٍ اُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ » [ آل عمران : ۱۱۰] "You are the best nation brought forth for mankind." Because between two points, the shortest and most correct line is the straight one. Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that here it means "justice." [ بخاری، التفسیر : ۴۴۸۷] The meaning of "justice" is trustworthy and reliable, moderate in belief, morals, and actions, and free from the excesses and deficiencies of previous nations. There is neither the severity of the Jews nor the leniency of the Christians here. (Kabir, Qurtubi)

➋ {وَ كَذٰلِكَ … :} That is, just as these two things are complete with you and deficient with your opponents: first, that you believe in all the prophets, while the Jews and Christians believe in some and disbelieve in others; second, that your qiblah is the Ka'bah, which has been appointed since the time of Ibrahim (peace be upon him), and Ibrahim (peace be upon him) is the leader of all, while the Jews, Christians, and their qiblah came later. In the same way, We have made you the best nation in every matter. Therefore, now it is your duty to guide others; it is not their duty to guide you. (Muwaddih)

➌ { لِتَكُوْنُوْا شُهَدَآءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ } …: Three types of testimony are meant by this. The first is that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) will testify that he conveyed the message of truth to the Companions, the Companions to the Followers, and likewise every generation of the Ummah will testify to those who come after them. The reason for this Ummah being the best is that they enjoin good and forbid evil, as stated in Surah Al-Imran (110): «كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ اُمَّةٍ اُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ », so Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gave a sermon: "O people! You will be gathered before Allah barefoot, naked, and uncircumcised." Then he said: "And some people from my Ummah will be taken to the left, so I will say, 'O Lord! These are my companions.' It will be said, 'You do not know what they innovated after you.' So I will say as the righteous servant (Isa, peace be upon him) said: «وَ كُنْتُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيْدًا مَّا دُمْتُ فِيْهِمْ فَلَمَّا تَوَفَّيْتَنِيْ كُنْتَ اَنْتَ الرَّقِيْبَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَ اَنْتَ عَلٰى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيْدٌ» [ المائدۃ : ۱۱۷] 'And I was a witness over you while I was among them, but when You took me up, You were the Watcher over you, and You are Witness over all things.'" [ بخاری، التفسیر، باب : «و کنت علیہم شہیدًا …» :۴۶۲۵] The same thing happened when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked the Companions in the Farewell Pilgrimage: "Have I conveyed (Allah's) message to you?" They all said: "Indeed, you have conveyed it." [بخاری، الحج، باب الخطبۃ أیام منٰی : ۱۷۴۱]

Now it is the duty of each of us to convey this message to those who come after, only then will he be able to testify over you and only then will he deserve to be called the "Ummah Wasat." And whoever remains silent despite seeing all the misguidance of the Muslim Ummah will neither be able to testify nor be included among the "Ummah Wasat." The second testimony is that which the Muslim Ummah will give over all previous nations based on the information given by Allah's Book, that their prophets conveyed Allah's commands to them. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Nuh (peace be upon him) and his nation will come, and Allah will say, 'Did you convey the message?' He will say, 'Yes, O my Lord!' Then his nation will be asked, 'Did he convey the message to you?' They will say, 'No! No prophet came to us.' Then Allah will say to Nuh (peace be upon him), 'Who will testify for you?' He will say, 'Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Ummah.' Then we will testify that indeed he conveyed the message, and that is the saying of Allah: «وَ كَذٰلِكَ جَعَلْنٰكُمْ اُمَّةً وَّسَطًا لِّتَكُوْنُوْا شُهَدَآءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ » [ بخاری، أحادیث الأنبیاء، باب قول اللہ عزوجل : «ولقد أرسلنا … » : ۳۳۳۹، ۴۴۸۷، عن أبی سعید الخدری رضی اللہ عنہ ]

The third testimony is in this world, when Muslims testify to someone's goodness or badness, because of which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) declared Paradise for one funeral and Hell for another, and said: [ أَنْتُمْ شُهَدَاءُ اللّٰهِ فِي الْاَرْضِ] "You are Allah's witnesses on earth." [ بخاری، الجنائز، باب ثناء الناس علی المیت : ۱۳۶۷]

➍ {وَ مَا جَعَلْنَا الْقِبْلَةَ… :} This states one of the wisdoms of the change of qiblah. The Quraysh cherished the Ka'bah as their qiblah, and the People of the Book cherished Bayt al-Maqdis. First, Bayt al-Maqdis was appointed as the qiblah to test the Quraysh and their followers, then the Ka'bah was appointed to test the People of the Book. Abandoning one's beloved qiblah in obedience to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was extremely difficult for anyone except those who were rightly guided, so those who were not granted this guidance faltered. This verse also shows that the previous qiblah you used to face was also appointed by Allah, even though this command is not mentioned in the Qur'an. This is evidence that rulings were revealed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) besides the Qur'an, which are called "hidden revelation" or hadith, and believing in them is also obligatory like the Qur'an.

➎ {وَ مَا كَانَ اللّٰهُ لِيُضِيْعَ اِيْمَانَكُمْ:} Al-Bara' (may Allah be pleased with him) said that before the change of qiblah, several people had been killed or had died during the time of the previous qiblah, and we did not know what to say about them, so Allah revealed: «وَ مَا كَانَ اللّٰهُ لِيُضِيْعَ اِيْمَانَكُمْ » "And Allah would never cause your faith to be lost." That is, Allah will never waste your previous prayers. [بخاری، الإیمان، باب الصلاۃ من الإیمان : ۴۰] In this verse, Allah has called prayer "faith." It is clear from this that those who consider only affirmation by heart and declaration by tongue as faith are not correct; rather, actions are also a part of faith, and prayer and zakah are such parts that without them a person does not even become a part of the Islamic community «اِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ اِخْوَة», because Allah said: «فَاِنْ تَابُوْا وَ اَقَامُوا الصَّلٰوةَ وَ اٰتَوُا الزَّكٰوةَ فَاِخْوَانُكُمْ فِي الدِّيْنِ» [ التوبۃ : ۱۱] "So if they repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, then they are your brothers in religion." And Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ إِنَّ بَیْنَ الرَّجُلِ وَ بَیْنَ الشِّرْکِ وَالْکُفْرِ تَرْکَ الصَّلاَۃِ ] [ مسلم، الإیمان، باب بیان إطلاق اسم … : ۸۲] "Between a man and shirk and disbelief is abandoning the prayer."

143. 1 The literal meaning of "wasat" is "middle," but it is also used in the sense of "better" and "superior." Here, it is used in this sense, meaning just as you have been given a better qiblah, in the same way, you have also been made the most superior ummah, and the purpose of this is so that you may bear witness over the people. As mentioned elsewhere (لِیَکُون الرَّسُولُ شَھِیْدًا عَلَیْکُمْ وَ تَکُوْنُوْ اشُھَدَآ ءَ عَلَی النَّاسِ) 22:28 the Messenger will be a witness over you, and you will be witnesses over the people. This is explained in some ahadith in this way: when Allah Almighty will ask the prophets on the Day of Resurrection, "Did you convey My message to the people?" They will reply in the affirmative. Allah Almighty will say, "Do you have any witness?" They will say, "Yes, Muhammad ﷺ and his ummah." Thus, this ummah will bear witness.

143. 2 This is one of the purposes of the change of qiblah, that the true believers used to await the indications of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, so for them, turning from one direction to another was not a difficult matter. In fact, at one place, even during the prayer, when they were in ruku', this command reached them, so they turned their faces towards the Ka'bah while still in ruku'. This mosque is called Masjid Qiblatain (i.e., the mosque in which one prayer was offered facing two qiblahs), and a similar incident occurred in Masjid Quba as well (لِنَعْلَمْ) (so that We may know). Allah already had knowledge before; the meaning is so that We may separate the people of certainty from the people of doubt, so that both types of people become clear before the people (Fath al-Qadeer).

143. 3 Some of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) had this concern in their minds that those Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) who had passed away during the time when prayers were offered facing Bayt al-Maqdis, or the period during which we offered prayers facing that direction, would those prayers be wasted or perhaps their reward would not be given? Allah Almighty said that these prayers will not be wasted and their full reward will be given. Here, prayer is referred to as iman to make it clear that without prayer, iman has no value. Iman is only valid when there is adherence to prayer and other divine commands.

And thus We have made you a justly balanced community [176], so that you may be witnesses over mankind, and the Messenger (Muhammad ﷺ) will be a witness over you [177]. And We only appointed the former qiblah (Bayt al-Maqdis) for you to know who follows the Messenger and who turns back on his heels. Indeed, it was a difficult test [177.1], except for those whom Allah has guided. And Allah would never let your faith go to waste [178]. Truly, Allah is Most Kind, Most Merciful to the people.

[176]
The Meaning of the Middle Nation and Examples:

That is, just as We have made the First Qiblah a permanent Qiblah for you, in the same way We have made you a middle nation (Ummah Wasat). By "middle nation" is meant such a noble and superior group that adheres to the path of justice and fairness, free from excess and deficiency, extremism and negligence, and holds a central position among the nations of the world. To understand this, consider that the Christians elevated Jesus ؑ so much that they made him God, while the Jews lowered him so much that they denied his prophethood and even sought his life. The way or belief of this middle nation is that Jesus ؑ was a beloved Prophet of Allah and the Spirit of Allah. In countless beliefs and rulings, you will find this very method of the middle nation. For example, for the Jews, retribution (qisas) was obligatory for murder, while the Christians were commanded to forgive and pardon, and for the Muslim Ummah, qisas was kept permissible to the extent of justification, but preference was given to blood money (diyat) instead of qisas, and encouragement was given for forgiveness and pardon, and it was declared a commendable act. Or, for example, among the Jews, if a woman became menstruating, they would not eat food cooked by her, nor eat with her, nor even let her stay in their house, but would arrange for such women to live in a separate place [مسلم، كتاب الحيض، باب جواز غسل الحائض راس زدجها]. The Christians did not observe any kind of precaution with such women. Whereas Muslims were only commanded to abstain from intercourse during menstruation; there was no restriction in other matters. Eating food cooked by her is permissible, living with her, even kissing her and embracing her, and even lying with her was declared permissible, and only intercourse was prohibited.

[177]
The Testimony of the Muslim Ummah Over Other Nations:

It is narrated from Abu Sa'id Khudri ؓ that he said: On the Day of Resurrection, Noah ؑ will be called. He will say, "Labbaik wa Sa'daik." Allah Almighty will ask him, "Did you convey My message?" He will say, "Yes!" Then his nation will be asked, "Did Noah ؑ convey My message to you?" They will say, "No warner came to us." Then Allah Almighty will say to Noah ؑ, "Do you have any witness?" He will say, "Muhammad ﷺ and his Ummah." Then the people of this Ummah will testify that "Indeed, Noah ؑ conveyed the message," and the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ will be a witness over you. [ بخاري، كتاب التفسير۔ زير آيت مذكور] And in another narration, at that time the nation of Noah ؑ will say, "How can your testimony be accepted when you neither lived in our time nor saw us?" At that time, the middle nation will reply, "We have acquired this certain knowledge from the Book of Allah and from what His Messenger has informed us. That is why we bear this testimony."

The Testimony of the Prophet ﷺ Against His Own Ummah Who Were Unjust to the Quran:

This was the state of the Muslim Ummah's testimony over other nations. After this, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ himself will testify against those people of his own Ummah who put the Quran behind their backs and used to say that the Quran was indeed a useful book in its time, but today the times have advanced so much that its teachings have become outdated. Or against those who inaugurate their gatherings and processions with the recitation of the Quran, but after that have nothing to do with the Quran. Or against those who have considered the Quran merely a book of amulets and use its verses only for worldly purposes, making amulets and conducting experiments. Or against those who, considering the Quran a very difficult book, have wrapped it in silk covers and placed it on a high shelf as a sacred relic. Or against those who, after understanding the verses and rulings of the Quran, interpret them wrongly merely for worldly purposes or sectarian prejudice. Or against those who knowingly violate the commands of Allah and follow their base desires. Against all such people, the Prophet ﷺ will testify before Allah that these are the people who abandoned the Quran, as is clearly evident from verse 30 of Surah Al-Furqan. [177۔ 1]

The Clamor of the Jews and Hypocrites Over the Change of Qiblah:

When the command for the change of Qiblah was revealed, both the hypocrites and the Jews started extremely poisonous propaganda against the Muslims, to such an extent that they raised a great uproar, and their propaganda was that Muslims sometimes face one direction in prayer and sometimes another; surely there is something wrong. Some weak-hearted people were affected by their propaganda, but those who were firm and strong in their faith paid no attention to this propaganda at all, and understanding that Allah knows best the wisdom of His commands, they immediately submitted. Seeing them, the affected Muslims also became steadfast, and in reality, such propaganda became a test for the Muslims, and by Allah's grace, the Muslims remained steadfast in it.

[178] Bara' bin Azib ؓ says that many Muslims had been martyred before the change of Qiblah, and we had doubts about what would become of the prayers they had performed. Then this verse was revealed ﴿وَمَا كَان اللّٰهُ لِيُضِيْعَ اِيْمَانَكُمْ﴾ [بخاري، كتاب التفسير، ترمذي، ابواب التفسير]