حَدَّثَنَا هَنَّادٌ حَدَّثَنَا وَکِيعٌ عَنْ إِسْرَائِيلَ عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَقَ عَنْ الْبَرَائِ بْنِ عَازِبٍ قَالَ لَمَّا قَدِمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الْمَدِينَةَ صَلَّی نَحْوَ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ سِتَّةَ أَوْ سَبْعَةَ عَشَرَ شَهْرًا وَکَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُحِبُّ أَنْ يُوَجَّهَ إِلَی الْکَعْبَةِ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ قَدْ نَرَی تَقَلُّبَ وَجْهِکَ فِي السَّمَائِ فَلَنُوَلِّيَنَّکَ قِبْلَةً تَرْضَاهَا فَوَلِّ وَجْهَکَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ فَوُجِّهَ نَحْوَ الْکَعْبَةِ وَکَانَ يُحِبُّ ذَلِکَ فَصَلَّی رَجُلٌ مَعَهُ الْعَصْرَ قَالَ ثُمَّ مَرَّ عَلَی قَوْمٍ مِنْ الْأَنْصَارِ وَهُمْ رُکُوعٌ فِي صَلَاةِ الْعَصْرِ نَحْوَ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ فَقَالَ هُوَ يَشْهَدُ أَنَّهُ صَلَّی مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَأَنَّهُ قَدْ وُجِّهَ إِلَی الْکَعْبَةِ قَالَ فَانْحَرَفُوا وَهُمْ رُکُوعٌ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَی هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ وَقَدْ رَوَاهُ سُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَقَ
جامع ترمذی · Hadith 2962
Narrated Al-Bara bin 'Azib: When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) arrived in Al-Madinah, he performed Salat facing the direction of Bait Al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) for sixteen or seventeen months. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) longed to face toward the Ka'bah, so Allah, Might and Sublime is He revealed: Verily, WE have seen the turning of your face towards the heave. Surely, We Shall turn your face in the direction of Al-Masjid Al-Haram (2:144). So he faced the direction of the Ka'bah and he longed for that. (One day) a man performed Salat Al-'Asr along with him. He said: Then he passed by some people of the Ansar performing Salat Al-'Asr, while they were bowing toward Bait Al-Maqdis. He told them that he testifies that he performed Salat with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and he had faced the direction of the Ka'bah. He said: So they turned while they were bowing.
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020