Tafheem ul Quran
Surah 2 Al-Baqarah, Ayat 177-177
لَيۡسَ الۡبِرَّ اَنۡ تُوَلُّوۡا وُجُوۡهَكُمۡ قِبَلَ الۡمَشۡرِقِ وَ الۡمَغۡرِبِ وَلٰـكِنَّ الۡبِرَّ مَنۡ اٰمَنَ بِاللّٰهِ وَالۡيَوۡمِ الۡاٰخِرِ وَالۡمَلٰٓـئِکَةِ وَالۡكِتٰبِ وَالنَّبِيّٖنَۚ وَاٰتَى الۡمَالَ عَلٰى حُبِّهٖ ذَوِى الۡقُرۡبٰى وَالۡيَتٰمٰى وَالۡمَسٰكِيۡنَ وَابۡنَ السَّبِيۡلِۙ وَالسَّآئِلِيۡنَ وَفِى الرِّقَابِۚ وَاَقَامَ الصَّلٰوةَ وَاٰتَى الزَّکٰوةَ ۚ وَالۡمُوۡفُوۡنَ بِعَهۡدِهِمۡ اِذَا عٰهَدُوۡا ۚ وَالصّٰبِرِيۡنَ فِى الۡبَاۡسَآءِ وَالضَّرَّآءِ وَحِيۡنَ الۡبَاۡسِؕ اُولٰٓـئِكَ الَّذِيۡنَ صَدَقُوۡا ؕ وَاُولٰٓـئِكَ هُمُ الۡمُتَّقُوۡنَ
﴿2:177﴾
(2:177) Righteousness does not consist in turning your faces towards the
east or towards the west;175 true righteousness consists in believing
in Allah and the Last Day, the angels, the Book and the Prophets, and in giving
away one’s property in love of Him to one’s kinsmen, the orphans, the poor and
the wayfarer, and to those who ask for help, and in freeing the necks of slaves,
and in establishing Prayer and dispensing the Zakah. True righteousness is attained
by those who are faithful to their promise once they have made it and by those
who remain steadfast in adversity and affliction and at the time of battle (between
Truth and falsehood). Such are the truthful ones; such are the God-fearing.
Notes
175. Turning one's face towards the east or the west is mentioned here only
by way of illustration. The actual purpose of the verse is to emphasize that
the observance of certain outward religious rites, the performance of certain
formal religious acts out of conformism, and the manifestation of certain familiar
forms of piety do not constitute that essential righteousness which alone carries
weight with God and earns His recognition and approval.