Part 1: Who Are as-Sufaha’ Who Questioned the Change of Qiblah?

Series: The Change of Qiblah

The change of qiblah for the Muslims is a matter worth observing carefully. In Surah al-Baqarah, Allah does not begin the matter of the change of qiblah merely with the command to face al-Masjid al-Haram. Instead, Allah begins it with a notice that there will be certain people who will question that change.

We begin our discussion on the change of qiblah from verse 142 of Surah al-Baqarah.

Allah S.W.T says:

سَيَقُولُ السُّفَهَاءُ مِنَ النَّاسِ مَا وَلَّاهُمْ عَنْ قِبْلَتِهِمُ الَّتِي كَانُوا عَلَيْهَا

“The foolish among the people will say: What has turned them away from their qiblah which they used to be upon?”

This is the opening verse to the discussion on the change of qiblah. Before we enter into their question, we need to first identify who Allah refers to as السفهاء (as-Sufaha’).

As-Sufaha’: Foolish or Ignorant?

The word السفهاء is closer to the meaning of “foolish” than “ignorant”. But foolish here does not mean someone who cannot read, has no knowledge, or has never heard the truth at all.

Jahil usually refers to someone who does not know or has not yet received knowledge. Once he knows, his ignorance is removed. A jahil person may ask because he wants to learn and understand.

But السفيه is a person whose judgement is corrupt. He may know something. He may have the capacity to understand, but the way he evaluates the matter is very light, careless, shallow and completely lacking in wisdom. What he asks is not for the sake of seeking truth, but to object, belittle or shake the confidence of others.

In the context of the change of qiblah, the group called السفهاء were not merely unaware that the Muslims had turned away from their previous qiblah. They knew it, and they clearly saw the change. Their problem was that they turned that change into a tool to attack the revelation of Allah and to question the Prophet S.A.W.

Therefore, the translation “the foolish ones” is more accurate, with meanings such as:

those who are foolish in judgement,

and/or

those who are shallow in understanding revelation,

and/or

those who ask not to understand, but to object.

Therefore, we need to remember that Allah did not begin this verse by calling them ignorant people. Allah called them السفهاء because their problem was not merely that they did not know. Their problem was their attitude, their way of thinking, and their purpose when questioning the command of Allah. Therefore, our discussion on qiblah will also not be free from many people who behave in a way that resembles as-Sufaha’.

Who Were as-Sufaha’ in the Original Context?

In the earliest context, this group refers to those who questioned why Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. and the Muslims had turned away from the previous qiblah.

The hadiths in Sahih al-Bukhari 4486 and Sahih Muslim 525b explain that the Prophet S.A.W. had faced Bayt al-Maqdis for sixteen or seventeen months. Then Allah revealed the command for him to face al-Masjid al-Haram. After that, the group referred to as السفهاء questioned that change. In that narration, they are identified as the Jews.

It is important for us to know that before the change of qiblah, the Prophet S.A.W. and the Muslims faced Bayt al-Maqdis in Jerusalem. This direction was also associated with the qiblah of the Jews. So when the Muslims no longer faced Bayt al-Maqdis, some Jews saw that change as an opening to object to the Prophet S.A.W. Sahih al-Bukhari 399.

However, when we look at the tafsir of the Qur’an, it does not restrict the meaning of السفهاء to the Jews alone. The mufassirin also included the hypocrites and the mushrikin who used the issue of the change of qiblah to create doubt.

In summary, السفهاء in the original context were:

the Jews who objected to the change of qiblah.

the hypocrites who turned that change into a source of fitnah.

the mushrikin who used the issue to mock or confuse the Muslims.

But the clearest objection in the authentic narration came from the Jews.

Why Were as-Sufaha’ Called Foolish?

They were not called foolish because they did not know which direction the Muslims were facing. They knew that before this, the Prophet S.A.W. and the Muslims had faced Bayt al-Maqdis in Jerusalem. They also knew that after that, the Muslims were commanded to face al-Masjid al-Haram. What they failed to understand was the true nature of qiblah itself.

Qiblah is not Tuhan. Qiblah is only a direction appointed for one to face Allah in worship. It is not an object of worship and not a place that possesses power by itself. The One being worshipped remains Allah. A direction only becomes qiblah when Allah appoints it.

Qiblah also does not belong to any nation. It does not belong to the Jews, nor to the Christians, nor to the Arabs, nor to any human group. Qiblah is the decree of Allah. Human beings have no right to determine the direction of worship based on national sentiment, group history or old habits.

For that reason, when Allah commanded the Muslims to face Bayt al-Maqdis, obedience at that time meant facing Bayt al-Maqdis. But when Allah commanded the Muslims to face al-Masjid al-Haram, obedience after that meant turning toward al-Masjid al-Haram.

This is where the real problem of the group called السفهاء lies. They viewed the change of qiblah with the logic of objection, not with the principle of obedience to revelation. They asked as though the change of direction showed a contradiction, whereas for the believers, that change only showed one thing: Allah owns the east and the west, and Allah has the right to determine the direction of worship according to His will.

That is why Allah shows us that they asked:

مَا وَلَّاهُمْ عَنْ قِبْلَتِهِمُ الَّتِي كَانُوا عَلَيْهَا

“What has turned them away from their qiblah which they used to be upon?”

Outwardly, this question appears to be an ordinary question. But Allah had already labelled its speakers as السفهاء. This shows that the question did not arise from sincerity in seeking truth, but from the attitude of objecting to the decree of Allah.

At the same time, this verse also opens up an important fact: before the change of qiblah occurred, the Muslims had once faced the same qiblah as the party that most clearly objected to that change, namely Bayt al-Maqdis in Jerusalem. They objected to the change of qiblah because the Muslims were no longer facing the same direction as before.

As-Sufaha’ Is Not a Label for a Race

One matter we must be careful about is this: السفهاء is not a label used to condemn an entire race or an entire religion.

Allah says:

السفهاء من الناس

“The foolish among the people.”

The phrase من الناس shows that they were part of mankind, not all of mankind. Therefore, in the original context, we may mention some Jews who objected to the change of qiblah. We may also mention the hypocrites and the mushrikin who took advantage of this issue. But what is being condemned is not merely a racial label. What is being condemned is the trait of objecting to revelation, belittling the Prophet, and using the issue of qiblah to shake the confidence of the Muslims.

Anyone who carries that trait, whether in the past or today, is carrying the way of thinking of السفهاء.

Their Question Appears Scholarly, but Its Direction Is Problematic

The question of the group called السفهاء appears to be a scholarly question. It is as though they were asking:

If the Muslims previously faced Bayt al-Maqdis, why do they now face al-Masjid al-Haram?

If al-Masjid al-Haram is true, was the previous prayer wrong?

If Bayt al-Maqdis was true before, why was that direction abandoned?

Does this religion keep changing?

But Allah had already exposed who the speakers were. This shows that their question was not built upon sincerity to understand. The question was designed to plant doubt toward revelation and the prophethood of the Prophet S.A.W.

They wanted to turn the change of qiblah into supposed proof that this religion was inconsistent. Yet the reality is simple.

When Allah commanded facing Bayt al-Maqdis, obedience at that time meant facing Bayt al-Maqdis. When Allah commanded facing al-Masjid al-Haram, obedience after that meant facing al-Masjid al-Haram.

So the real issue is not which direction is more true. The real issue is who submits to the command of Allah and His Messenger when revelation descends. This is where their direction is problematic. They begin with a question about qiblah, but the direction of that question does not lead toward obedience. It leads toward objection, doubt and rejection of revelation.

For that reason, the issue of qiblah does not stop at the matter of direction alone. In the next verse, Allah will explain that the previous qiblah itself was made a test to reveal who truly follows the Messenger and who turns back.

Therefore, we will continue this discussion after understanding who the group called السفهاء really were, the first group to question the change of qiblah.

Closing

As-Sufaha’ today do not necessarily come from Jews, Christians, Muslims or any particular race. It is not a racial label. It is a trait and a way of thinking. Anyone can carry the trait of السفهاء when he fits the characteristics we have discussed above: foolish in making judgement, shallow in understanding revelation, or asking not to understand, but to object.

So what we examine is not a person’s race. What we examine is the way he brings his question. When someone uses the issue of the change of qiblah to plant doubt toward revelation, we can recognise that he is carrying the pattern of السفهاء. When someone turns the change of qiblah into material to belittle the Prophet S.A.W., that person too is carrying the pattern of السفهاء. When someone asks not to understand the command of Allah, but to find an opening to object to the religion, he is carrying the pattern of السفهاء.

We will find that they may come with modern language, an academic style, an Islamic style, logic that appears structured, or questions that seem critical. But our measure is not how polished the question looks. Our measure is the direction of that question. Does the question lead toward understanding and obedience? Or does it lead toward objection, doubt and rejection of revelation?