سُوْرَةُ البَقَرَةِ
Surah Al-Baqara (2) — Ayah 115
وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْمَشْرِقُ وَٱلْمَغْرِبُ ۚ فَأَيْنَمَا تُوَلُّوا۟ فَثَمَّ وَجْهُ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ وَٰسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ ﴿115﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And to Allâh belong the east and the west, so wherever you turn (yourselves or your faces) there is the Face of Allâh (and He is High above, over His Throne). Surely! Allâh is All-Sufficient for His creatures’ needs, All-Knowing.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَلِلَّهِ
walillahi
And for Allah
ٱلْمَشْرِقُ
l-mashriqu
(is) the east
وَٱلْمَغْرِبُ ۚ
wal-maghribu
and the west
فَأَيْنَمَا
fa-aynamā
so wherever
تُوَلُّوا۟
tuwallū
you turn
فَثَمَّ
fathamma
[so] there
وَجْهُ
wajhu
(is the) face
ٱللَّهِ ۚ
l-lahi
(of) Allah
إِنَّ
inna
Indeed
ٱللَّهَ
l-laha
Allah
وَٰسِعٌ
wāsiʿun
(is) All-Encompassing
عَلِيمٌۭ
ʿalīmun
All-Knowing
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 115) The meaning of this verse is not that facing the qiblah in prayer is not necessary, but rather that the obligation of facing the qiblah is lifted in specific situations, because before this, there is mention of those wrongdoers who prevent people from Allah’s mosques, meaning that the efforts of these wrongdoers to prevent and ruin Allah’s mosques cannot become an obstacle in the way of worshipping Allah. Allah alone is the owner of the East and the West, so if a person faces difficulty in turning towards the qiblah, or there is fear of the enemy, or the qiblah cannot be determined, then it is correct to pray facing whichever direction one can. In Sunan Abi Dawood {’’ كِتَابُ صَلٰوةِ السَّفَرِ:۱۲۴۹‘‘}, it is mentioned that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sent Abdullah bin Unais (may Allah be pleased with him) to kill Khalid bin Sufyan, because he was gathering an army against the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). He saw him in ‘Urnah or ‘Arafat (where Abdullah bin Unais’ face was in the opposite direction of the Ka‘bah), and the time for ‘Asr arrived, so due to the fear of missing the prayer, he prayed while walking towards the enemy, then went and killed him. Regarding nafl (voluntary) prayers during travel, there is permission to pray on the mount, regardless of which direction it is facing. Thus, Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) says that while coming from Makkah to Madinah, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would continue to pray (nafl) on his camel, whichever direction it was facing. He says, regarding this, this verse was revealed: « { فَاَيْنَمَا تُوَلُّوْا فَثَمَّ وَجْهُ اللّٰهِ }» [ مسلم، صلوۃ المسافرین، باب جواز النافلۃ : ۳۳؍۷۰۰ ] One meaning of { ”فَاَيْنَمَا تُوَلُّوْا“ } is {”حَيْثُمَا تُوَلُّوْا“ } (wherever you turn), this is the statement of Mujahid. (Tabari) In this case as well, its connection is with the previous verse, meaning if you are prevented from Allah’s mosques, then pray wherever you are. (Al-Tasheel)
