অর্থ
Who is this āyah addressing? And depending on who is the addressee, what is intended by this āyah?
উত্তর
Imām Ibn al-Jawzī (d. 597/1201) summarized the scholars' opinions in his book "Zād al-Masīr" as follows:
- The Muslims. According to this view, the meaning is: righteousness is not solely in prayer, but rather righteousness is what is mentioned in this verse. This interpretation is reported from Ibn ʿAbbās, Mujāhid, ʿAṭāʾ, al-Ḍaḥḥāk, and Sufyān.
- The People of the Two Books (Jews and Christians). According to this view, the meaning is: righteousness is not the Jews' prayer toward the west or the Christians' prayer toward the east, but rather righteousness is what is mentioned in this verse. This is the view of Qatādah, al-Rabīʿ, ʿAwf al-Aʿrābī, and Muqātil.

