2:144

Salaam all,

This is 2:144

قَدْ نَرَى تَقَلُّبَ وَجْهِكَ فِي السَّمَاء فَلَنُوَلِّيَنَّكَ قِبْلَةً تَرْضَاهَا فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ وَحَيْثُ مَا كُنتُمْ فَوَلُّواْ وُجُوِهَكُمْ شَطْرَهُ وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ أُوْتُواْ الْكِتَابَ لَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ وَمَا اللّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا يَعْمَلُونَ
Qad nara taqalluba wajhika fee assamai falanuwalliyannaka qiblatan tardaha fawalli wajhaka shatra almasjidi alharami wahaythu ma kuntum fawalloo wujoohakum shatrahu wainna allatheena ootoo alkitaba layaAAlamoona annahu alhaqqu min rabbihim wama Allahu bighafilin AAamma yaAAmaloon

The Aya says:
WE could see the turning of your face in the sky back and forth. Therefore, we will direct you a direction of facing that you will happily accept. So, direct your face to the MASJID ILHARAM, and wherever you arrived at being direct your faces towards it (the half of the earth where it is located, east west, north south). And those that were brought the book know that he (the order) is the abiding truth from their nurturer, and The GOD is paying attention to what they do.

My personal note:
The MASJID HARAM is the name that is given to the mosque in Mecca around the cubical building Al KAABA. The meaning of MASJID HARAM is the place of performance of prostration or lowering of the head as signs of submission to GOD. The place makes forbidden to violate the place and things around it. MASJID HARAM is a place where pre-Islamic Arabs were forbidden to fight and they were forbidden to hunt as well in the area.

SHATR means half and when used to mean direction, it really means towards the half of the earth where something is located. So, when muslims pray they need to direct themselves to the half of the earth where the MASJID HARAM is located. Therefore it is a general direction and not really an exact science.

The significance of the change of QIBLA in 2:143 and 2:144 is really the fact that it changed rather than where it was and where is became. The significance is that GOD tells us that HE is everywhere, and therefore the direction of our facing can be changed. GOD has the east and the west and wherever we face, we will find HIS face accepting us.

Translation of the transliterated words:
Qad nara: We may see/we could see
Note: QAD is a word that is used to point out a point and here is gives the impression of the word may. NARA is derived from the root R-Hamza-Y and it means seeing in physical mental and spiritual sense. NARA is the first person plural present or future tense of a verb that is derived from the root. This verb means arrive at seeing here and this means WE may see.
Taqalluba: repeated turning back and forth of
Note: the root is Qaf-L-B and it means turning upside down or 180 degrees in the concrete sense. TAQALLUB is the repeated turning upside down or repeated turning 1800 degrees.
Wajhika: Your face/your direction
Note: the root is W-J-H and it means face for concrete and acceptance as well as direction for the abstract. WAJHIKA means your face.
Fee: in
Assamai: The above/the sky
Note: the root is S-M-W and it means rising above. SAMAI is the above or what is above or what makes things rise and that all applies to what is above the ground and beyond.
Falanuwalliyannaka: So, WE will direct you
Note: FA means SO or therefore, lANAWULLIYANNAKA is derived from the root W-L-Y and it means direction of following in direction and in otherwise. LANUWAALIYANNAKA is the a stress form of a verb that is first person plural future tense of a derived verb that means WE will make you arrive (at) direction, which means WE will direct you.
Qiblatan: Direction of facing/acceptance
Note: the root is Qaf-B-L and it means front. QIBLA is fronting and that means front facing front. This means direction of acceptance.
Tardaha: you will be happy with her/accepting her happily
Note: the root os R-Dhad-Y and it means being happy with (someone or something)/accepting happily. TARDA is the second person singular present of future tense of a verb that is derived from this root. This verb means arrive at accepting happily/arrive at being happy with. HA means her and the her here is the QIBLA which is the direction of facing (in prayer or so forth to reach acceptance)
Fawalli: Therefore direct
Note: FA means therefore. WALLI is derived from the root W-L-Y and it means direction of following. WALLI is an order form of the verb addressing an individual and means make yourself arrive direction which means direct.
Wajhaka: Your face/your direction
Note: the root is W-J-H and it means face for concrete and acceptance as well as direction for the abstract. WAJHIKA means your face.
Shatra: half (the earth) of
Note: the root is SH-Ta-R and it means half of a whole. It also can mean direction as in directing oneself towards the half of the earth that is in that direction.
Almasjidi: place of showing sign of submission/place of prayer
Note: the root is S-J-D and in concrete it means a tree that is tilting downward due to a heavy load of fruits. It therefore is used to means tilting downward of the face or the body including prostration. In abstract, it means showing signs of submission to a higher power/showing that one is giving in to the higher power. ALMASJID is the place or time where this act is performed and this is used to mean any place of prayer or mosque.
Alharami: the one that is a cause for nonviolation.
Note: the root is Ha-R-M and it means forbidden to violate or forbidding to violate. HARAM means a cause for forbidding to violate. This means forbidding to violate the place itself and things around it. Therefore being a cause for non violation.
wahaythu ma: And wherever
kuntum: You were/you arrived at being
Note: the root is K-W-N and it means being. KUNTUM is the second person plural past tense of a verb that is derived from this root. It means arrived at being which means here you were.
Fawalloo: Therefore direct
Note: FA means therefore. WALLOO is derived from the root W-L-Y and it means direction of following. WALLOO is an order form of the verb addressing a group and means make yourselves arrive direction which means direct.
Wujoohakum: Your faces
Note: the root is W-J-H and it means face for concrete and acceptance as well as direction for the abstract. WUJOOHAKUM means your faces.
shatrahu half the earth of him
Note: the root is SH-Ta-R and it means half of a whole. It also can mean direction as in directing oneself towards the half of the earth that is in that direction. HU means him and the him points to the
Wainna: And (with some stress)
Allatheena: Those that
Ootoo: were brought
Note: the root is Hamza-T-Y and it means coming with determination. The concrete word is for the water that flows in a place where it did not rain, therefore suggesting that the water came from somewhere else. OOTOO is a third person plural past tense of a verb that is derived from this root. This verb means literally were brought/something was made to come to them.
Alkitaba: The book/the process of writing
Note: The root is K-T-B and it means writing. ALKITAB is anything that is involved in writing. Therefore is the process of writing with all that is involved in it. This term often is used to mean the people that were given a book of GOD as the Christians and the jews but also the Gnostics and may extend to others as well.
layaAAlamoona: They know (with stress)
Note: LA here is used to stress the verb that is coming after it. YaAALAMOONA is derived from the root Ain-L-M and it means knowing or knowledge. YaAALAMOON is the third person plural present or future tense of a verb that is derived from the root. This verb means arrive knowing literally and it means in actuality they know or they will know.
Annahu: That he (the order from GOD to change the Qibla)
Note: the HE here is a tough one. It points to a word that is masculine. This masculine word can be the Masjid AlHARAM, but this will have some explanation to do. It also can point to the order from GOD to change the Qibla, or the message from GOD. This is what I find more in line with the AYA.
Alhaqqu: The abiding truth
Note: the root is H-Qaf-Qaf and it means abiding truth. ALHAQQU is the abiding truth. This means that it is true and that one should abide by it.
Min: From
Rabbihim: Their nurturer
Note: the root is R-B-B and it means growing physically, mentally under care and supervision. RABB is the one the helps all this growth and provides the supervision. HIM means their
Wama: And not
Allahu: The GOD
Bighafilin: Not paying attention
Note: The root is GH-F-L and it means not paying attention. GHAFIL is the person that does not pay attention.
AAamma: about what
yaAAmaloon: They do
Note: the root is Ain-M-L and it means doing or working. YaAAMALOON is the third person plural present or future tense of a verb that is derived from this root. This means literally they arrive at doing and in actuality it means they do or they will do.

Salaam all and have a great day

Hussein