حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى عَنْ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ جُبَيْرٍ أَنَّ ابْنَ عُمَرَ قَالَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُصَلِّي عَلَى رَاحِلَتِهِ مُقْبِلًا مِنْ مَكَّةَ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ حَيْثُ تَوَجَّهَتْ بِهِ وَفِيهِ نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةُ فَأَيْنَمَا تُوَلُّوا فَثَمَّ وَجْهُ اللَّهِ
مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 4714
Sa'eed ibn Jubayr narrated that Ibn 'Umar said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) used to ptay atop his mount when he was coming back from Makkah to Madinah, no matter what direction it was facing. Concerning this, the verse "so wherever you turn (yourselves or your faces) there is the Face of Allah (and He is High above, over His Throne)" (al-Baqarah 2:115] was revealed
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020