وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْمَشْرِقُ وَٱلْمَغْرِبُ ۚ فَأَيْنَمَا تُوَلُّوا۟ فَثَمَّ وَجْهُ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ وَٰسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ 115
Translations
And to Allāh belongs the east and the west. So wherever you [might] turn, there is the Face of Allāh. Indeed, Allāh is all-Encompassing and Knowing.
Transliteration
Wa lillāhi al-mashriq wa al-maghrib, fa-aynamā tuwalū fa-thamma wajh Allāh, inna Allāh wāsi' alīm.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah establishes that all directions belong to Allah alone, and therefore wherever the believer turns in prayer, they face Allah's presence. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi explain this was revealed to address concerns about the qibla (direction of prayer) change from Jerusalem to Makkah, reassuring believers that Allah's majesty encompasses all directions and that sincere intention matters more than mechanical compliance. The verse emphasizes that Allah is vast (wāsi') in His dominion and all-knowing ('alīm) of hearts and intentions.
Revelation Context
This ayah is situated within the Medinan period context following the qibla change commanded in 2:142-150. Believers were troubled by the shift from facing Bait al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) to Bait al-Haram (Makkah), and this verse reassures them that the All-Knowing Allah accepts their worship regardless of directional concerns, so long as their hearts are sincere. The broader surah discusses foundational Islamic principles and practices for the nascent Muslim community.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'The whole earth has been made a mosque for me and its soil a purification (tayammum).' (Sahih Bukhari 438). Additionally, the hadith in Sahih Muslim emphasizes that sincere intention ('niyyah') is what Allah judges, reinforcing this ayah's spiritual essence.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that Allah's presence is not confined to geographical directions, encouraging us to understand worship as a matter of sincere hearts and intentions rather than rigid adherence to external forms alone. For modern Muslims, it reinforces that wherever one prays with genuine devotion to Allah, their worship is valid and accepted by the All-Knowing, All-Encompassing God.
Related Ayahs
ٱلَّذِينَ يَأْكُلُونَ ٱلرِّبَوٰا۟ لَا يَقُومُونَ إِلَّا كَمَا يَقُومُ ٱلَّذِى يَتَخَبَّطُهُ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ مِنَ ٱلْمَسِّ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّمَا ٱلْبَيْعُ مِثْلُ ٱلرِّبَوٰا۟ ۗ وَأَحَلَّ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْبَيْعَ وَحَرَّمَ ٱلرِّبَوٰا۟ ۚ فَمَن جَآءَهُۥ مَوْعِظَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِۦ فَٱنتَهَىٰ فَلَهُۥ مَا سَلَفَ وَأَمْرُهُۥٓ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَمَنْ عَادَ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلنَّارِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَـٰلِدُونَ
Those who consume interest cannot stand [on the Day of Resurrection] except as one stands who is being beaten by Satan into insanity. That is because they say, "Trade is [just] like interest." But Allāh has permitted trade and has forbidden interest. So whoever has received an admonition from his Lord and desists may have what is past, and his affair rests with Allāh. But whoever returns [to dealing in interest or usury] - those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide eternally therein.
وَلَا تَلْبِسُوا۟ ٱلْحَقَّ بِٱلْبَـٰطِلِ وَتَكْتُمُوا۟ ٱلْحَقَّ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
And do not mix the truth with falsehood or conceal the truth while you know [it].
وَإِذْ يَرْفَعُ إِبْرَٰهِـۧمُ ٱلْقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ ٱلْبَيْتِ وَإِسْمَـٰعِيلُ رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّآ ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ
And [mention] when Abraham was raising the foundations of the House and [with him] Ishmael, [saying], "Our Lord, accept [this] from us. Indeed, You are the Hearing, the Knowing.
۞ قَوْلٌ مَّعْرُوفٌ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِّن صَدَقَةٍ يَتْبَعُهَآ أَذًى ۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَنِىٌّ حَلِيمٌ
Kind speech and forgiveness are better than charity followed by injury. And Allāh is Free of need and Forbearing.