Even as We have sent among you a Messenger from among you...

Even as We have sent among you a Messenger from among you who recites to you Our communications and purifies you and teaches you the Book and the wisdom and teaches you that which you did not know (151). ******** **COMMENTARY ** Ponder on these verses and you will find them well-connected with each other, a common context joining them together like a strand running through the beads.

These verses together talk about the appointment of the Ka'bah as the qiblah (the direction of prayer etc.) for the Muslims. Therefore, no attention should be paid to those who say that there was a change of sequence in the arrangement of these verses, or that some of them have abrogated the others. Although then narrate some traditions to this effect, but then do not deserve any comment because all of them go against the clear meaning of these verses.

QUR'AN: The fools among the people will say: "What has turned them from their qiblah which they had?": It is the second introductory sentence for the soon-to-be-promulgated order to make the Ka'bah as the qiblah of the Muslims.

Also, it teaches the reply of the objection which the "fools among the people", that is, the Jews and the pagans of Mecca, were expected to raise: The Jews because of their partisanship of their own qiblah, Baytu 'l-Maqdis; and the pagan Arabs because then were always on the look out for any new thing which then could object to.

Allah prepared the minds for change of qiblah, first by revealing the story of Ibrahim (a.s.) and various honors bestowed on him by Allah, as well as the honor accorded to his son, Isma`il; their prayers for the Ka'bah and Mecca, as well as for the Prophet and the Muslim group; their construction of the House and the order then received to cleanse it for the worship of Allah.

It is recognized that the change of qiblah from Baytu 'l-Maqdis to the Ka'bah was an event of greatest religious significance, one of the most important commandments given to the Muslims after the hijrah of the Prophet to Medina, when the roots of Islam were firmly taking place and its knowledge and realities were being spread. Understandably, the Jews were not going to remain silent in face of this legislation: According to their thinking this change negated.

one of their greatest religious prides, that is, qiblah; hitherto the Muslims were following them in their qiblah, and the Jews could claim a precedence over the Muslims in this religious symbol.