Al-Baqarah 142: Surely, an ignorant group among people will say “what is it that makes people turn away from the qiblah (prayer direction) they faced?” Say “the east and the west belong to Allah. Whoever desires guidance enters the right path”.

A. Metin Saruhan · 15 February 2022 · Misinterpreted Verses

The misinterpretation

Some foolish people, what is it that turns them from their qibla towards which they are facing? they will say. Say; East and west belong to Allah. He guides whom He wills to the straight path.

The right translation

Surely, an ignorant group among people will say “what is it that makes people turn away from the qiblah (prayer direction) they faced?” Say “the east and the west belong to Allah. Whoever desires guidance enters the right path”.

Explanation

This verse is also wrong: He guides whom He wills to the right path. In Verse 105, we have explained this Verse, and here we are putting the translation of the same Verse. They say, "Allah gives His mercy to whom He wills". Our Lord does not discriminate between people. If we elaborate on this point, it will be better understood.

Allah created man as a particle of His Spirit. He gave man a mind to govern himself and to judge himself with his own will. In this situation, He made a covenant with human beings. Our Lord says in the 172nd verse of Surah A'râf: (172- He made the descendants of the children of Adam to bear witness against themselves, so that on the Day of Resurrection you may not say, "We were unaware of this," and said: I am your Lord. (They said) yes, we bear witness (to that).

So after man was created in the realm of Lahut, when he made a covenant with Allah (swt), Allah (swt) gave him what he wanted and wrote his destiny. After that, if Allah (swt) removes His will from man and our Lord exercises His will on man, what does He want from man? Why does He make a covenant with man? If Allah, who has the power and strength, exercises His will over human beings and puts whomever He wills in paradise and whomever He wills in hell, if He creates whoever He wills as a disbeliever and whoever He wills as a Muslim, if He gives His mercy to whomever He wills and withholds His mercy from whomever He wills, would we not be characterizing our Lord by doing injustice among His servants? And would there be any point in the covenant?

In this case, those who ask Allah will be guided. Those who turn their backs on Allah and do not embrace the religion of Islam, those who rebel against the commands of our Lord, those who disregard the laws of Allah, those who associate partners with Allah, or those who follow the verses of Allah's revelations that suit them and deny the others, will surely be punished accordingly and they will be included in Hell, the place of torment.

This world is the shadow of the Hereafter. In the world, if people disobey the laws of the state, commit crimes, defraud people, kill people, are caught for these crimes and sent to prison after being sentenced by a judge, did the judge send these people to prison, or did the judge send them to prison for the crimes they committed?

So, when people make a covenant with Allah (swt) in the address Elestu bi Rabbikum, their own desires and wishes become their destiny. Within this destiny, people are either punished or rewarded for the actual deeds they have done with their desires and wishes. They will be rewarded for their own actions. In this case, Allah (swt) has no will over people in the worldly realm, with the decisions they make with their own will while they are living. Those who wish go to heaven and those who wish go to hell.

This situation is entirely the result of the actual actions of human beings, which they have made with their own will and decisions. Those who ask Allah for guidance will be guided. As for those who turn their backs on Allah and do not embrace the religion of Islam, those who rebel against the commands of our Lord, who disregard the laws of Allah, who associate partners with Allah, or who obey the Verses of Allah and deny the others, they will surely be punished accordingly. Such people will enter Hell, a place of torment, an evil place of return.

What is said in the video

Wrongly rendered verses. Now here, on page 21, Surah Al-Baqarah, the 142nd verse. "Some of the foolish among the people: from the qibla they were facing, what turned them away?" it says. The meaning up to here — let's explain — these parts are right. Yes, right. I'm reading the wrong one. We'll continue further. Well, when they first began worshipping, the Prophet and they would face Al-Aqsa Mosque. In Mecca the Venerable there is the Qiblatayn Mosque, that is, the mosque with two qiblas. But the Prophet (peace be upon him), facing Al-Aqsa Mosque — he didn't want that. Allah Almighty knew what was passing through his heart.

So after a while Allah Almighty, while the Prophet was in prayer, commanded him to turn towards the Kaaba (Baytullah). And the Prophet, on the big toe of his right foot, turns towards the Kaaba. The noble Companions following him also, in the same way, turn towards the Kaaba. And the Kaaba becomes the qibla of the Muslims. Before that the qibla was Al-Aqsa Mosque. Now in this case, the talk of people, of those foolish ones — look how beautifully Allah Almighty puts it, what does He say? "Some of the foolish among the people: from the qibla they were facing, what turned them away?" That is: until now you turned towards Al-Aqsa Mosque, so why now have you turned somewhere else?

Yes. "They will say. Say: the East and the West belong to Allah. He guides whom He wills to the right path", it says. Where is the mistake here? What Allah wills happens. Whereas it isn't the One who wills. The mistake comes out right here. Allah sent the Holy Quran to all the worlds. His mercy is for everyone in the universe. He has never made any distinction between anyone. And He does not now either. When everyone made a covenant with Allah Almighty in the address 'Am I not your Lord?' had the script he wanted written of his own desire. Here, as the actor of that script, through the deeds he does in the world, to prove what kind of person he is, he came into the world. In this case Allah will not make whom He wills a Muslim, whom He wills a disbeliever, nor put whom He wills into Hell, whom He wills, um, into Paradise.

Whoever wills goes to Paradise, and whoever wills to Hell. So what is the correct one? The correct one: "Some of the foolish among the people: from the qibla they were facing, what turned them away?" They will say. Say: the East and the West belong to Allah. Those of you who will, they enter the right path. Those of you who will. Now, take a sultan. The sultan has the herald call out. The herald, that is the crier, calls out. O folk, O people. The sultan has opened the door of the treasury. Come, take as much as you want. Whoever wants goes and takes, and whoever wants turns his back and leaves.

Allah Almighty too has sent the Quran down to the worlds. I am the Owner of the worlds. I created the whole universe. From the atom to the globe, whatever exists is all Mine. Although He says "Every soul shall taste death, your return is to Me", man goes and, to such a sultan, to such a creating power, to such an Owner, Allah abundant in mercy, turns his back, he leaves himself in darkness. Yes.