101 Reasons Why We Left Islam – Chapter 1: Abrogation– Reason 5
Most Muslims believe that Mecca was always the Qibla to pray toward. Why? Because the Quran calls it the house of God. Also, in Quran 2:121 – 127, the Quran claims Prophet Ibrahim build it. Many more believe it was Adam who built it but there is no evidence in the Quran or Hadith to this effect. But one thing for sure, it was ALWAYS the house of Allah from the very beginning of time.
So, imagine a god, for 15 years of Islamic Dawah, tells you “My house is Westwards to point X.” This prophet of god tells everyone to pray in that direction insisting this is a divine command. Then, one day, wakes up and tells people – “Actually, god’s house is Eastwards to point Y.”
For those who don’t know, the Prophet directed people for the first period of Islam to pray towards Jerusalem – in alignment with all the other Ibrahimic believers. Many of the early mosques (still standing today in Madina) point to Jerusalem. If you do not believe me, search and learn about the mosque with two Qublas.
The Story of the Mosque of Two Qiblahs in Madinah | About Islam
So, we are set to believe that out of the blue, this verse was revealed:
“Indeed, We see you ˹O Prophet˺ turning your face towards heaven. Now We will make you turn towards a direction ˹of prayer˺ that will please you. So turn your face towards the Sacred Mosque ˹in Mecca˺—wherever you are, turn your faces towards it…” Quran 2:144
The Hadith says that after a year and half being away from Mecca, the Prophet was missing Mecca and “… he wished that he could pray facing the Ka’ba (at Mecca). The first prayer which he offered facing the Ka’ba was the ‘Asr (afternoon) prayer in the company of some people.” Sahih al-Bukhari 40
I have highlighted one part of the Quran that corresponds with one part of the Hadith. Who really wanted this change of direction? Allah or the Prophet? Notice it says “…that will please you” and not “…that will please Allah”. And why it will please him? Because “…he wished that he could pray facing the Ka’ba (at Mecca).”
Arguments against this being an Abrogation:
There are those who will say that this is not an abrogation because there was no verse that replaced a verse – yet even the great Islamic scholars saw it as the ‘first abrogation’ in the Quran. For example, in the Tafsir of this verse by Ibn Kathir, he says it clearly that this is the ‘first abrogation’ in the Quran. This is not our words; this is the Islamic Scholars words.
Surah Al-Baqarah – 144-145 – Quran.com
A hint to what was really happening is found in the next verse 2:145, which says: “Even if you were to bring every proof to the People of the Book, they would not accept your direction ˹of prayer˺, nor would you accept theirs; nor would any of them accept the direction ˹of prayer˺ of another…”
Here, the same Tafsir takes a twist, hints at what was really happening and explicitly refers to the last Jews of the Madina who were stubborn in rejecting the Prophet’s message:
Surah Al-Baqarah – 144-145 – Quran.com
Issue 5.1:
The timing, a year and a half after the migration, when this change came about is very telling. The Prophet had converted all that he could in that time of the Madina’s Jews. He has grown in power and now he was asserting himself and distancing himself from those who were ‘stubborn’, and this is not my words but the Tafsir’s words. What sums up the situation is that the Prophet was findings the last group of Jews too suborn to convert, and he was starting to miss Mecca – boom – the direction of prayer changes! This is a divine decision, this is a political decision.
Issue 5.2:
There is no real justification for this abrogation. Unlike the previous abrogations we mentioned, this has little to do with ‘preparing people’ or ‘adjusting to change’. The Quran was supposed to be set in stone from the beginning of time. This verse should have been written in the book at the start of time- follow me with this ridiculous logic. Allah knew people would be praying towards the wrong direction. Allah waited for the Prophet to miss home, and then Allah released the verse! How can anyone who reads this still not see that the Prophet was inventing things as he goes?
Apologists Response:
Issue 5.1: This is a speculative analysis. The Hadith does not say the shifting of the Qibla was because the Prophet wanted that. The Quran is clear that this was a command from Allah. The circumstances were such that it may have been the right time to make the shift. Also, the Qibla to Jerusalem was not completely removed or rejected; it is still considered Islam’s third holiest place.
>> Our Response: This is not speculative, the Quran and Hadith both point to Muhammad being the reason (if not the instigator) of this change. This is further backed by the way the Quranic verse came down, the Tafsir, and the Hadith.
Issue 5.2: This is all part of Allah’s grand plan – After all, Allah is the best planner. This may have been part of His grand plan to help the Jews see the truth of Islam and make their transition to Islam easier by suggesting the Qibla initially is Jerusalem. Then gradually got them used to the religion before making that switch. If Muhammad had arrived claiming Mecca is the direction of prayer, hardly any Jews would have accepted his message. After all, you cannot argue with that outcome! Islam prevailed.
>> Our Response: The term used in verse 8:30 is a deceiver and not a planner, but we know the translators did not like it, so they replaced it with a planner. But in essence, this excuse makes sense to what Quran 8:30 says. It is about deception to gain power! Even if you agree with this method, you have to wonder why Allah, who is capable of anything and can create anything from nothing, would resort to deception to win! Isn’t deception a sin and a characteristic of the ‘devil’. The fact Islam did prevail does not mean it is evidence of divine intervention. The Egyptian Dynasty, Chinese Dynasty, and even the Roman Empire succeeded and prevailed longer than Islam, and in your book, they are pagans and enemies of Allah.
Final Thoughts:
I know what you are thinking, how can any sane person think this makes sense. well, most Muslims don’t even know this fact and many more do not even know the whole story.
People in the days of the Prophet used to say: “Muhammad only repeats what he learned,” and they were right. This prophet learned much of this faith from his maternal uncle, Waraqah Ibn Nawfal, who was a priest in Christianity and Judaism. For many historians who look at Islam objectively, Islam is a branch of Judaism, linked with Christianity for continuity, blended with Zoroastrianism for creativity, and mixed with Arabian mythology such as Jinns, Hajj, and the direction of prayer to Mecca. Read this and other Just in Time verses in the Quran that show Muhammad was inventing verses on the go…
https://wikiislam.net/wiki/Convenient_Revelations
You can also read the different mixture of origin of Islamic faith, where Muhammad copied many of his ideas here:
https://wikiislam.net/wiki/Pagan_Origins_of_Islam
Conclusion for Chapter 1: Abrogation
Abrogation is perfectly acceptable concept in a human context of better laws replacing outdated and no longer relevant laws. It is, however, an odd concept in labelling anything as a ‘divine message’ from an all-knowing God. But also, it becomes even more problematic when Abrogation becomes an excuse for being deceitful. Allah whose initial message is peaceful turns into a religion of violent and subjugation, this is deceitful. In many times, the initiation of the abrogation is not even the divine message itself, such as Omar banning temporary marriages, a sheep eating stoning and breast-feeding verses, the banning of alcohol, and direction of prayer – they all trace their origin to what the Prophet or people around him wanted.
But this excuse goes one step further to a point that become ridiculous. When the Quran was finally put together some 20 years after the Prophet died, several people reported missing verses and to get around this mishap, scholars tried to frame any missed verses to be – surprise surprise- abrogated by Allah!
- Narrated Ubayy ibn Ka’b: “Surah Al Ahzab was revealed to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and it was as long as Surah Al Baqarah. Then, a large number of its verses were abrogated.” (Sunan Abu Dawud, 4227)
- Narrated Aisha: “Surah Al Ahzab was revealed in two hundred verses, but when the Prophet (peace be upon him) wrote the Quran, he could only find seventy-three verses.” (Sunan Ibn Majah, 1962)
- Narrated Hudhayfah: “Surah Al Ahzab was revealed in seventy verses, but when the Prophet (peace be upon him) wrote the Quran, he could only find twenty-three verses.” (Musnad Ahmad, 22497)
https://www.dd-sunnah.net/forum/archive/index.php/t-138770.html
If you are interested in learning specifically about the issue of putting the Quran together and how it is a human process through and through, this will be discussed in problem #50.