Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs
(Whencesoever thou comest forth) you are to (turn thy face) in prayer (towards the Inviolable Place of Worship; and wheresoever ye may be (O Muslims)) on land or at sea (turn your faces) in prayer (towards it (when ye pray) so that men) 'Abdullah Ibn Salam and his Companions (may have no argument against you) regarding the changing of the Qiblah because in their Scripture the Inviolable Place of Worship was the Qiblah of Abraham; therefore if you pray towards it, they will have no argument against you, (save such of them as do injustice) nor would those who transgressed with their words have any argument against you, and these included Ka'b Ibn Ashraf and the Arab idolaters (-Fear them not) regarding the changing of the Qiblah, (but fear Me) in leaving the old Qiblah (-so that I may complete My grace upon you) by giving you a Qiblah just as I have completed for you your Religion, (and that you be guided) to the Qiblah of Abraham.
Tafsir Ibn 'Abbas, trans. Mokrane Guezzou
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