ٱلْبَقَرَة : ١٥٠

  • وَمِنۡ And from
  • حَيۡثُ wherever
  • خَرَجۡتَ you start forth
  • فَوَلِّ [so] turn
  • وَجۡهَكَ your face
  • شَطۡرَ (in the) direction
  • ٱلۡمَسۡجِدِ (of) Al-Masjid
  • ٱلۡحَرَامِۚ Al-Haraam
  • وَحَيۡثُ And wherever
  • مَا that
  • كُنتُمۡ you (all) are
  • فَوَلُّواْ [so] turn
  • وُجُوهَكُمۡ your faces
  • شَطۡرَهُۥ (in) its direction
  • لِئَلَّا so that not
  • يَكُونَ will be
  • لِلنَّاسِ for the people
  • عَلَيۡكُمۡ against you
  • حُجَّةٌ any argument
  • إِلَّا except
  • ٱلَّذِينَ those who
  • ظَلَمُواْ wronged
  • مِنۡهُمۡ among them
  • فَلَا so (do) not
  • تَخۡشَوۡهُمۡ fear them
  • وَٱخۡشَوۡنِي but fear Me
  • وَلِأُتِمَّ And that I complete
  • نِعۡمَتِي My favor
  • عَلَيۡكُمۡ upon you
  • وَلَعَلَّكُمۡ [and] so that you may
  • تَهۡتَدُونَ (be) guided
And from wherever you go out [for prayer], turn your face toward al-Masjid al-Ḥarām. And wherever you [believers] may be, turn your faces toward it in order that the people will not have any argument against you, except for those of them who commit wrong; so fear them not but fear Me. And [it is] so I may complete My favor upon you and that you may be guided,
From whatever place you issue, turn your face towards the Sacred Mosque; and wherever you may be, turn your faces towards it (all of which is being repeated for emphasis), so that there be not any argument from the people, the Jews or the idolaters, against you, [so that there be not] any cause for contention regarding the change to a different direction of prayer. In this way, their contentions against you will cease to exist, both [the contentions] of the Jews when they say, 'He [Muhammad may peace and salutation be upon him] rejects our religion, but follows our direction of prayer', and of the idolaters when they say, 'He [Muhammad may peace and salutation be upon him] claims to follow the creed of Abraham, but he contravenes his [Abraham's] qibla'; excepting the evildoers among them, acting in obstinacy, who will say, 'He [Muhammad may peace and salutation be upon him] only changed to this direction because of his [natural] inclination towards the [idolatrous] religion of his forefathers'. The exceptive statement [indicated by illaa] is a continuous one, the meaning being: 'No one will have anything to say against you, except for what these people say'; and do not fear them, do not fear their arguing [with you] regarding the change to it [the Ka'ba], but fear Me, by complying with My command; and that I may perfect My grace upon you, by guiding you to the principal rituals of your religion, and that you may be guided, to the truth (wa-li-utimma, 'that I may perfect', is a supplement to li-allaa yakoona, 'that there be not').