Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayah 145
Quran 2:145 · The Cow · Madani · Para 2 · Page 22
وَلَىِٕنْ اَتَیْتَ الَّذِیْنَ اُوْتُوا الْكِتٰبَ بِكُلِّ اٰیَةٍ مَّا تَبِعُوْا قِبْلَتَكَ ۚ وَمَاۤ اَنْتَ بِتَابِعٍ قِبْلَتَهُمْ ۚ وَمَا بَعْضُهُمْ بِتَابِعٍ قِبْلَةَ بَعْضٍ ؕ وَلَىِٕنِ اتَّبَعْتَ اَهْوَآءَهُمْ مِّنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَكَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ ۙ اِنَّكَ اِذًا لَّمِنَ الظّٰلِمِیْنَ ۟ۘ
Transliteration
Wala-in atayta allatheena ootooalkitaba bikulli ayatin ma tabiAAooqiblataka wama anta bitabiAAin qiblatahum wamabaAAduhum bitabiAAin qiblata baAAdinwala-ini ittabaAAta ahwaahum min baAAdi ma jaakamina alAAilmi innaka ithan lamina aththalimeen
Saheeh International
And if you brought to those who were given the Scripture every sign, they would not follow your qiblah. Nor will you be a follower of their qiblah. Nor would they be followers of one another's qiblah. So if you were to follow their desires after what has come to you of knowledge, indeed, you would then be among the wrongdoers.
Al-Mukhtasar fi Tafsir
By God! If you provided the Jews and Christians who have been given the Scripture with every sign and proof that the change of prayer direction was the truth, they would not face your prayer direction, stubborn against what you say and too proud to follow the truth. You will not face their prayer direction after God has directed you away from it, and they will not face the prayer directions of one another, because each group calls the other disbelievers, and because they follow their desires in the matter of the prayer direction and in other sacred laws and rulings, even after the true knowledge which was revealed to you and about which there is no doubt. If you were to leave guidance, and follow their desires, you would certainly be of the wrongdoers. Here God addresses the Prophet(s) directly to show how wrong it would be to follow them. Of course, God has protected the prophet himself from ever doing so, and this as a warning for his followers after him.
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged)
And even if you were to bring to the People of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) all the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), they would not follow your Qiblah (prayer direction), nor are you going to follow their Qiblah. And they will not follow each other's Qiblah. Verily, if you follow their desires after that which you have received of knowledge (from Allah), then indeed you will be one of the wrongdoers (145)
The Stubbornness and Disbelief of the Jews
Allah describes the Jews' disbelief, stubbornness and defiance of what they know of the truth of Allah's Messenger ﷺ, that if the Prophet ﷺ brought forward every proof to the truth of what he was sent with, they will never obey him or abandon following their desires. In another instance, Allah said:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ حَقَّتْ عَلَيْهِمْ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ - وَلَوْ جَاءَتْهُمْ كُلُّ آيَةٍ حَتَّىٰ يَرَوُا الْعَذَابَ الْأَلِيمَ
(Truly, those, against whom the Word (wrath) of your Lord has been justified, will not believe. Even if every sign should come to them, until they see the painful torment.)(10:96-97)
This is why Allah said here:
وَلَئِنْ أَتَيْتَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ بِكُلِّ آيَةٍ مَّا تَبِعُوا قِبْلَتَكَ
(And even if you were to bring to the People of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) all the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), they would not follow your Qiblah (prayer direction)).
Allah's statement:
وَمَا أَنتَ بِتَابِعٍ قِبْلَتَهُمْ
(...nor are you going to follow their Qiblah ), indicates the vigor with which Allah's Messenger ﷺ implements what Allah commanded him. Allah's statement also indicates that as much as the Jews adhere to their opinions and desires, the Prophet ﷺ adheres by Allah's commands, obeying Him and following what pleases Him, and that he would never adhere to their desires in any case. Hence, praying towards Bayt Al-Maqdis was not because it was the Qiblah of the Jews, but because Allah had commanded it. Allah then warns those who knowingly defy the truth, because the proof against those who know is stronger than against other people. This is why Allah said to His Messenger ﷺ and his Ummah:
وَلَئِنِ اتَّبَعْتَ أَهْوَاءَهُم مِّن بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَكَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ إِنَّكَ إِذًا لَّمِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ
(Verily, if you follow their desires after that which you have received of knowledge (from Allah), then indeed you will be one of the wrongdoers.)