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 (s) rejects our religion but follows our direction of prayer’ and of the idolaters when they say ‘He Muhammad (s) 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 (s) only changed to this direction because of his natural inclination towards the idolatrous religion of his forefathers’. The exceptive statement indicated by illā 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-allā yakūna ‘that there be not’.
