Incidentally...

Incidentally, the direction that has been stipulated as the Qiblah (the direction towards the Ka’bah) is a region that is not only holy but also one of the most ancient bases of monotheism and so, directing oneself towards it serves to awaken the monotheistic reminiscences (within oneself) (5). 5. What secrets lay behind the changing of the Qiblah?

The change of Qiblah from Bayt al-Maqdas to the holy Ka’bah was a puzzle for everyone; those who were of the opinion that every rule ought to be permanent and unchanging, mused: If we had to necessarily pray in the direction of the Ka’bah, why was it not ordered from the very onset? If Bayt al-Maqdas, which had been regarded as the Qiblah for the previous prophets was superior, why then was it changed? The enemies too found the issue a fertile ground to poison the minds of the people.

They probably might have said: At the start, he (s.a.w.a) turned towards the Qiblah of the previous Prophets but after tasting victories, he was overcome by racial and nationalistic tendencies and therefore substituted it with the Qiblah of his own people! Or they might have said: He initially accepted Bayt al-Maqdas to be his Qiblah in order to attract the Jews and the Christians towards his religion, but later when he observed that it did not prove effective, he changed it to the Ka’bah.

The agitation and commotion that these whisperings must have generated – especially in a society in which the sediments of the eras of idolatry and polytheism still existed, and one that had yet to be completely illuminated by the light of knowledge, science, and faith – is all too evident. As a result, the Qur`an explicitly states in Suratul Baqarah (6) that this was a great trial to discern the stance adopted by the believers and the polytheists.

It is not improbable that one of the important reasons for the change in Qiblah could be the following issue: In that period, since the Ka’bah had been the hub for the idols of the polytheists it was ordered that the Muslims should temporarily offer their prayers in the direction of Bayt al-Maqdas and in this way separate their ranks and disassociate themselves from the polytheists.