The Meaning of the Saying of Allah the Exalted: (So wherever you turn, there is the Face of Allah)
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[The Meaning of the Saying of Allah the Exalted: (So wherever you turn, there is the Face of Allah)]
It was mentioned in *Mukhtasar al-Sawa'iq al-Mursalah* by Imam Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) when he came to the saying of His Lord, Exalted is He: [al-Baqarah: 115] He stated that it was reported from some of the Salaf, including al-Shafi'i, that the meaning of His saying: (THE FACE OF ALLAH) is: the qiblah of Allah. Then he refuted that by preferring another view from several angles,And he said among them: What is the matter with you that you took this to be the qiblah of Allah, while in all the texts in which the Face of Allah is mentioned, it is an attribute added to the one described? So he preferred [the other view] from several angles—as I said—His statement: That its interpretation means the complete and absolute encompassing of Allah, just as you know the Asha'irah interpret the issue of supplication and raising the hands to the sky by saying: that this is the qiblah of supplication,And the Salaf denied that from them and said: That there is only one qiblah for prayer and for supplication,So is it permissible for the Asha'irah to say: That the statement regarding the qiblah of Allah in this interpretation also necessitates several qiblahs for Allah, Exalted is He. So I hope you will remove such a doubt, may you be rewarded, and may Allah reward you with good?
First: I hope the brothers present do not raise such a long, complex question. Most of the brothers now do not understand this at all, and it has not even occurred to them at all. Such a thing should be between me and the questioner.
But the noble verse has two opinions from the Salaf: The first opinion: that the meaning is: So wherever you turn, there is the direction of Allah,Meaning: His qiblah,Meaning: That if the qiblah is unclear to you, and then you pray while in the desert, you pray toward a direction you think is the qiblah, and then it turns out it is not the qiblah, your prayer is valid,Because this verse was mentioned as an introduction to the saying of Allah the Exalted: [al-Baqarah: 142] This verse is like His saying: [al-Baqarah: 142] and [al-Baqarah: 115] meaning: if you face the Ka'bah, you are facing the Face of Allah, and if you face Bayt al-Maqdis, as the Jews criticized you for, you are facing the Face of Allah: [al-Baqarah: 142] And this is a view that has its strength.
The second opinion: [al-Baqarah: 115] meaning: so Allah, the Exalted, has accepted your faces, and this supports the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the one praying: that he does not spit in front of his face,He said: (For Allah has accepted his face) .
So the verse is susceptible to this and that, and its meaning is correct on both opinions.
As for the Asha'irah and their saying: That this is the qiblah of supplication,It is said to them: Do you call upon the sky, or do you call upon the Lord of the sky?So when you raise your hands to the sky and say: O Allah, for you are only calling upon Allah, Exalted is He. So Allah is there,You are not saying: O sky,And their saying: That the sky is the qiblah of the supplicant is wrong, because the qiblah of the supplicant is the Ka'bah. The worship in which facing the qiblah is prescribed is prescribed toward the Ka'bah.
And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and his Companions and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
It was mentioned in *Mukhtasar al-Sawa'iq al-Mursalah* by Imam Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) when he came to the saying of His Lord, Exalted is He:
So wherever you [might] turn, there is the Face of Allah
فَأَيْنَمَا تُوَلُّوا فَثَمَّ وَجْهُ اللَّهِFirst: I hope the brothers present do not raise such a long, complex question. Most of the brothers now do not understand this at all, and it has not even occurred to them at all. Such a thing should be between me and the questioner.
But the noble verse has two opinions from the Salaf: The first opinion: that the meaning is: So wherever you turn, there is the direction of Allah,Meaning: His qiblah,Meaning: That if the qiblah is unclear to you, and then you pray while in the desert, you pray toward a direction you think is the qiblah, and then it turns out it is not the qiblah, your prayer is valid,Because this verse was mentioned as an introduction to the saying of Allah the Exalted:
The foolish among the people will say, "What has turned them away from their qiblah, which they used to face?" Say, "To Allah belongs the east and the west. He guides whom He wills to a straight path."
سَيَقُولُ السُّفَهَاءُ مِنَ النَّاسِ مَا وَلَّاهُمْ عَنْ قِبْلَتِهِمُ الَّتِي كَانُوا عَلَيْهَا قُلْ لِلَّهِ الْمَشْرِقُ وَالْمَغْرِبُ يَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍTo Allah belongs the east and the west
قُل لِلَّهِ الْمَشْرِقُ وَالْمَغْرِبُSo wherever you [might] turn, there is the Face of Allah
فَأَيْنَمَا تُوَلُّوا فَثَمَّ وَجْهُ اللَّهِTo Allah belongs the east and the west. He guides whom He wills to a straight path."
لِلَّهِ الْمَشْرِقُ وَالْمَغْرِبُ يَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍThe second opinion:
So wherever you [might] turn, there is the Face of Allah
فَأَيْنَمَا تُوَلُّوا فَثَمَّ وَجْهُ اللَّهِSo the verse is susceptible to this and that, and its meaning is correct on both opinions.
As for the Asha'irah and their saying: That this is the qiblah of supplication,It is said to them: Do you call upon the sky, or do you call upon the Lord of the sky?So when you raise your hands to the sky and say: O Allah, for you are only calling upon Allah, Exalted is He. So Allah is there,You are not saying: O sky,And their saying: That the sky is the qiblah of the supplicant is wrong, because the qiblah of the supplicant is the Ka'bah. The worship in which facing the qiblah is prescribed is prescribed toward the Ka'bah.
And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and his Companions and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.