Surah Al-Baqara (2) — Ayah 143

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]