The "Israeli" academy of Lazarur-Yafehe claims that the adoption of Jerusalem as the qibla in Muslim prayer "is undoubtedly influenced by Jewish and Christian traditions in the Arabian Peninsula during that era," and it asserts that this trend began after the migration "to attract Muhammad's call for Islam in the Arabian Peninsula.

 Claims and Fallacies:

This statement contains fallacies from several angles. For example, Christian traditions did not designate Jerusalem as the qibla for prayer during that period; rather, they always faced the east, which is far from Jerusalem (which is located northwest of Hijaz). Churches have faced east since the second century AD, based on the verse from the Gospel of Matthew: "For as lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be" (Matthew 24:27).

 Historical Context:

The direction towards Jerusalem in the early Islamic period did not begin after the migration, but rather started with the very moment of the establishment of the prayer obligation, as appears from the very early text of the Quran. (O thou folded in garments! (1)) (Stand (to prayer) by night, but not all night,) (Al-Muzzammil)

 Early Practice:

As Ibn Ishaq states, it began from the first year of the prophetic mission. The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal indicates that the direction of prayer was initially towards Jerusalem even before there were any relations with the Jews during the time of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. This is mentioned in the narration of Ibn Abbas: "The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, used to pray while he was in Mecca facing the Al-Aqsa Mosque, with the Kaaba before him. After he migrated to Medina for sixteen months, then he was directed to the Kaaba."

 Prophet's Choice:

This means that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has directed his prayers toward Jerusalem since the beginning of his call, before he had any relationship with the Jews or Christians in the Arabian Peninsula. In fact, if this matter were related solely to the Prophet’s personal choices and vision, it would have been more appropriate for him to pray in the Sacred Mosque in Mecca directly toward the Kaaba, because the polytheistic Arabs at that time revered the Kaaba and never turned their backs to it.

 Narration of Ibn Ishaq:

This is evident in the narration of Ibn Ishaq about Al-Bara' ibn Ma'rour, who came from Yathrib before the Hijrah and converted to Islam in Mecca with the companions of the first pledge of Aqabah. He found it difficult to be commanded to pray toward the Al-Aqsa Mosque while the Kaaba would be behind him (since Yathrib/Medina is situated between Mecca and Jerusalem). So, he decided on his own to pray toward the Kaaba, which the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) prevented him from doing when he met him the following year. Al-Bara asked him about this, and he said: "You were on a Qibla, if you had only been patient with it."

 Purpose of Direction:

This is a clear indication from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that praying toward Jerusalem was temporary and had a primary purpose, which in reality was to establish a relationship between the Arabs of the Arabian Peninsula and Jerusalem, as they were aware of the value of the Kaaba but did not recognize the significance of Jerusalem before Islam. Thus, from the very beginning, Islam came to build this relationship between the two and link it with the strong bond of prayer.

 Change in Qibla:

When this connection to prayer facing the Qibla in the city was completed approximately 16 months after the migration, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) began to turn his face toward the sky. Contrary to what some books mention regarding unfounded views that claim the Prophet (peace be upon him) was turning his face toward the sky in disdain for Jerusalem due to his relationship with the Jews of Medina, the narration of Al-Bara' ibn Ma'rour clearly indicates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was actually anticipating a change in the Qibla to become directed toward Mecca after the required connection with Jerusalem had been established among the Muslims.

 Refutation of Influence Claims:

The claim that the direction of prayer towards Jerusalem initially, before Mecca, was influenced by the presence of Jews in the Arabian Peninsula is a mistaken and flimsy assertion. The essence and logical reasoning suggest that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was supposed to pray in Mecca, directing himself towards the Kaaba and not towards Jerusalem, as the Arabs in Mecca revered the Kaaba. However, he prayed towards Jerusalem. When he immigrated to Medina, where there was a significant Jewish community praying towards Jerusalem, he found himself praying towards the Kaaba.

Pure logic would suggest that he should try to get closer to the polytheists of Quraysh in Mecca and win their hearts by praying towards their qibla, while at the same time winning the hearts of the Jews in Medina by praying towards their qibla. In other words, if he were trying to win over either group or gain their sympathy, he would have faced the Kaaba while in Mecca and faced Jerusalem while in Medina. However, what happened was the opposite, and this indicates that the reference point for the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was neither the Jews, nor the Christians, nor the polytheists; rather, his reference was different from all of them, which fundamentally undermines the claim.  

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