Quran Universe
2:150

وَمِنۡ حَيۡثُ خَرَجۡتَ فَوَلِّ وَجۡهَكَ شَطۡرَ ٱلۡمَسۡجِدِ ٱلۡحَرَامِۚ وَحَيۡثُ مَا كُنتُمۡ فَوَلُّواْ وُجُوهَكُمۡ شَطۡرَهُۥ لِئَلَّا يَكُونَ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَيۡكُمۡ حُجَّةٌ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ مِنۡهُمۡ فَلَا تَخۡشَوۡهُمۡ وَٱخۡشَوۡنِي وَلِأُتِمَّ نِعۡمَتِي عَلَيۡكُمۡ وَلَعَلَّكُمۡ تَهۡتَدُونَ

Wamin haythu kharajta fawalli wajhaka shatra almasjidi alharami wahaythu ma kuntum fawalloo wujoohakum shatrahu lialla yakoona lilnnasi AAalaykum hujjatun illa allatheena thalamoo minhum fala takhshawhum waikhshawnee waliotimma niAAmatee AAalaykum walaAAallakum tahtadoona

And from wherever you go out [for prayer], turn your face toward al-Masjid al-Haram. And wherever you [believers] may be, turn your faces toward it in order that the people will not have any argument against you, except for those of them who commit wrong; so fear them not but fear Me. And [it is] so I may complete My favor upon you and that you may be guided.

Word by word
  1. وَمِنۡAnd from
  2. حَيۡثُwherever
  3. خَرَجۡتَyou start forth
  4. فَوَلِّ[so] turn
  5. وَجۡهَكَyour face
  6. شَطۡرَ(in the) direction
  7. ٱلۡمَسۡجِدِ(of) Al-Masjid
  8. ٱلۡحَرَامِۚAl-Haraam
  9. وَحَيۡثُAnd wherever
  10. مَاthat
  11. كُنتُمۡyou (all) are
  12. فَوَلُّواْ[so] turn
  13. وُجُوهَكُمۡyour faces
  14. شَطۡرَهُۥ(in) its direction
  15. لِئَلَّاso that not
  16. يَكُونَwill be
  17. لِلنَّاسِfor the people
  18. عَلَيۡكُمۡagainst you
  19. حُجَّةٌany argument
  20. إِلَّاexcept
  21. ٱلَّذِينَthose who
  22. ظَلَمُواْwronged
  23. مِنۡهُمۡamong them
  24. فَلَاso (do) not
  25. تَخۡشَوۡهُمۡfear them
  26. وَٱخۡشَوۡنِيbut fear Me
  27. وَلِأُتِمَّAnd that I complete
  28. نِعۡمَتِيMy favor
  29. عَلَيۡكُمۡupon you
  30. وَلَعَلَّكُمۡ[and] so that you may
  31. تَهۡتَدُونَ(be) guided
Al-Baqarah · 2:150Madinah

Fear them not. Fear Me.

When critics will talk no matter what

Two kinds of critics
people with an argumentnow have none
the wrongdoerswill argue anyway
so
fear Menot their doubts
What the command gives
a loss to defendanother thing to explain
a completed favorand guidance

The third repetition. Facing the Ka'bah removed the argument that the Muslims were only following another people's Qiblah. Yet those bent on wrong would still argue. So Allah says: do not fear the doubts they raise, fear Me alone, so that I may complete My favor upon you.

You change something for Allah and brace for the remarks. Some people will understand. Some will find a complaint whatever you do. Their voices take up your evenings. You cannot satisfy them. You only have to stand right with Allah.

I need to answer every critic before I can feel at peace.

Some critics will never be satisfied. Fear of Allah is the only fear that settles me.

Try this

Name one person whose opinion you fear too much. Ask Allah to free your heart from it.

Related2:144
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 2:149)

And from wheresoever you start forth (for prayers), turn your face in the direction of Al-Masjid Al-Haram (at Makkah), that is indeed the truth from your Lord. And Allah is not unaware of what you do (149)And from wheresoever you start forth (for prayers), turn your face in the direction of Al-Masjid Al-Haram (at Makkah), and wheresoever you are, turn your faces towards it (when you pray) so that men may have no argument against you except those of them that are wrongdoers, so fear them not, but fear Me! ـ And so that I may complete My blessings on you and that you may be guided (150)

Why was changing the Qiblah mentioned thrice?

This is a third command from Allah to face Al-Masjid Al-Haram (the Sacred Mosque) from every part of the world (during prayer). It was said that Allah mentioned this ruling again here because it is connected to whatever is before and whatever is after it. Hence, Allah first said:

قَدْ نَرَىٰ تَقَلُّبَ وَجْهِكَ فِي السَّمَاءِ فَلَنُوَلِّيَنَّكَ قِبْلَةً تَرْضَاهَا

(Verily, We have seen the turning of your (Muhammad's) face towards the heaven. Surely, We shall turn you to a Qiblah (prayer direction) that shall please you)(2:144), until:

 وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ لَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ وَمَا اللَّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا يَعْمَلُونَ

(Certainly, the people who were given the Scripture (i.e., Jews and the Christians) know well that, that (your turning towards the direction of the Ka'bah at Makkah in prayers) is the truth from their Lord. And Allah is not unaware of what they do.)(2:144)

Allah mentioned in these Ayat His fulfillment of the Prophet's wish and ordered him to face the Qiblah that he liked and is pleased with. In the second command, Allah said:

وَمِنْ حَيْثُ خَرَجْتَ فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ وَإِنَّهُ لَلْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكَ وَمَا اللَّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ

(And from wheresoever you start forth (for prayers), turn your face in the direction of Al-Masid Al-Haram that is indeed the truth from your Lord. And Allah is not unaware of what you do.)

Therefore, Allah states here that changing the Qiblah is also the truth from Him, thus upgrading the subject more than in the first Ayah, in which Allah agreed to what His Prophet ﷺ had wished for. Thus Allah states that this is also the truth from Him that He likes and is pleased with. In the third command, Allah refutes the Jewish assertion that the Prophet faced their Qiblah ﷺ, as they knew in their Books that the Prophet ﷺ will later on be commanded to face the Qiblah of Ibrahim, the Ka'bah. The Arab disbelievers had no more argument concerning the Prophet's Qiblah after Allah commanded the Prophet ﷺ to face the Qiblah of Ibrahim, which is more respected and honored, rather than the Qiblah of the Jews. The Arabs used to honor the Ka'bah and liked the fact that the Messenger ﷺ was commanded to face it.

The Wisdom behind abrogating the Previous Qiblah

Allah said:

لِئَلَّا يَكُونَ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَيْكُمْ حُجَّةٌ

(...so that men may have no argument against you)

Therefore, the People of the Book knew from the description of the Muslim Ummah that they would be ordered to face the Ka'bah. If the Muslims did not fit this description, the Jews would have used this fact against the Muslims. If the Muslims had remained on the Qiblah of Bayt Al-Maqdis, which was also the Qiblah of the Jews, this fact could have been used as the basis of argument by the Jews against other people.

Allah's Statement:

إِلَّا الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا مِنْهُمْ

(...except those of them that are wrongdoers,) indicates the Mushrikin (polytheists) of Quraysh. The reasoning of these unjust persons was the unsound statement: "This man (Muhammad) claims that he follows the religion of Ibrahim! Hence, if his facing Bayt Al-Maqdis was a part of the religion of Ibrahim, why did he change it?" The answer to this question is that Allah has chosen His Prophet ﷺ to face Bayt Al-Maqdis first for certain wisdom, and he obeyed Allah regarding this command. Then, Allah changed the Qiblah to the Qiblah of Ibrahim, which is the Ka'bah, and he also obeyed Allah in this command. He, obeys Allah in all cases and never engages in the defiance of Allah even for an instant, and his Ummah imitates him in this.

Allah said:

فَلَا تَخْشَوْهُمْ وَاخْشَوْنِي

(...so fear them not, but fear Me!) meaning: 'Do not fear the doubts that the unjust, stubborn persons raise and fear Me Alone.' Indeed, Allah Alone deserves to be feared.

Allah said:

 وَلِأُتِمَّ نِعْمَتِي عَلَيْكُمْ 

(...so that I may complete My blessings on you.)

This Ayah relates to Allah's statement:

لِئَلَّا يَكُونَ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَيْكُمْ حُجَّةٌ

(...so that men may have no argument against you), meaning: I will perfect My bounty on you by legislating for you to face the Ka'bah, so that the (Islamic) Shari'ah (law) is complete in every respect. Allah said:

وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ

(...that you may be guided.), meaning: 'To be directed and guided to what the nations have been led astray from, We have guided you to it and preferred you with it.' This is why this Ummah is the best and most honored nation ever.