Some Controversies about the Change of the Qiblah with Particular Regard to Appropriation

The Qiblah is one of the most significant signs in Islam, hence an icon of Islamic identity. The earlier choosing of Jerusalem as the Qiblah left its reverberations among the Jews in the earlier days of Islam. To reject the revelatory nature off Islam, many Jews fabricated the controversy of Islam's appropriation of the Qiblah from Judaism, hence stressed their own originality. The present paper tackles and rebuts the issue of the Jews' controversies, as provided in the Quran tafsirs of both Shias and Sunnis. It is asserted that the earlier choice of Jerusalem as the Qiblah was a sagacious decision, for the Kaaba was a place of idol-worshipping by then, while Jerusalem was not dishonored by idols. However, with the spread of Islam, Mecca received a totally different situation, and the Kaaba has since received its Qiblah status forever.