straying others besides them, and punishing them in the Hereafter, and executing what He has preordained.

(٢) Unto God belong the East and the West, and whithersoever you tum, there is Gods countenance. Lo! God is All-Embracing, All-Knowing. (Q. ٢:١١٥)

The opinion that this verse has been abrogated has been attributed to a group that includes Ibn Abbas, AbU al-Aliya, al-I:Iasan, A a,
Zayd b. Aslam.٥ However, they differed about the abrogating verse. Ibn Abbas mentioned that the abrogating verse was "And wheresoever you may be [٠ Mus‌ lims, when you pray,] turn your faces toward it [the Inviolable Place of Worship]" (Q. ٢:١٥٠), while Qatada maintains that it was "Turn your face toward the Inviolable Place of Worship" (Q. ٢:١٥٠), and so does al-Ququbi. ٦ The reason for the abroga‌ tion, according to these scholars, is that the Prophet and all the Muslims were free to pray in any direction they wished, although the Prophet used to prefer the direction of Jerusalem. Hence, this was abrogated with the order to turn specifically toward the sacred mosque of Mekka.
Nevertheless, the weakness and the error of their view are obvious in the light of
Gods saying, "And We appointed the direction (the qibla) which you formerly ob‌ served, only that We might know him who follows the Messenger, from him who turns on his heels" (Q. ٢:١٤٣). This latter verse clearly states that turning toward Jerusalem was [determined] on the basis of Gods command for some good that necessitated it, and the Prophets choice had no role in it at all.
It is more appropriate to maintain that the verse in question establishes the ab‌
sence of any specific direction toward God because He cannot be contained in any place. Accordingly, in whatsoever direction man turns in his worship, his supplica‌ tion, and all his services, he is turning toward God, the Exalted. It was on this ground that the ahl al-bayt (the Imams) justified permission for the traveler to face any di‌ rection in the performance of the recommended prayers, as well as justifying the validity of the obligatory prayers performed mistakenly between East and West, and the validity of the prayer in which the worshiper is confused and does not know the direction of the qibla. They have also regarded the prostration performed in a direc‌ tion other than the qibla during the recitation of the Quran as valid. SaId b. Jubayr (Gods mercy be on him) followed this practice when al-I:Iajjaj ordered his slaughter on the ground.? Thus, this verse is general, and it was particularized in the obligatory prayer by making it obligatory, at one time, to turn toward Jerusalem and, subse‌ quently, toward the Kaba in Mekka. Moreover, according to an opinion, this is also the case with the prayers recommended when one is not in the state of moving. As for those reports in which it is related that the general verse was revealed only for the performance of the recommended prayers, there is no ground to believe in such speci‌ fication. As previously pointed out, the verses are not limited to the circumstances of their revelation.
To recapitulate, the claim that this verse has been abrogated can be valid if two points are true.
First, that it was revealed specifically in relation to the obligatory form of wor‌
ship. The invalidity of such a thing is well known. It has been reported, in some of