حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى، قَالَ: ثَنَا النُّفَيْلِيُّ، قَالَ: ثَنَا زُهَيْرٌ، عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، عَنِ الْبَرَاءِ، رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ أَوَّلَ مَا قَدِمَ الْمَدِينَةَ صَلَّى قِبَلَ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ سِتَّةَ عَشَرَ أَوْ سَبْعَةَ عَشَرَ شَهْرًا وَكَانَ يُعْجِبُهُ أَنْ تَكُونَ قِبْلَتُهُ قِبَلَ الْبَيْتِ وَأَنَّهُ أَوَّلُ صَلَاةٍ صَلَّى صَلَاةُ الْعَصْرِ وَصَلَّى مَعَهُ قَوْمٌ فَخَرَجَ رَجُلٌ مِمَّنْ صَلَّى مَعَهُ فَمَرَّ عَلَى أَهْلِ مَسْجِدٍ وَهُمْ رَاكِعُونَ فَقَالَ: أَشْهَدُ بِاللَّهِ لَقَدْ صَلَّيْتُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قِبَلَ مَكَّةَ فَدَارُوا كَمَا هُمْ قِبَلَ الْبَيْتِ وَكَانَ يُعْجِبُهُ أَنْ يُحَوَّلَ قِبَلَ الْبَيْتِ وَذَكَرَ بَاقِي الْحَدِيثِ.
Sayyiduna Bara’ bin Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to Madinah, for the first sixteen or seventeen months he used to pray facing Bayt al-Maqdis, although he liked that his qiblah should be towards the Ka’bah. He performed the ‘Asr prayer facing the Ka’bah, and the people were with him. One of those who had prayed with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) left (after the prayer) and passed by a mosque where the people were in the state of ruku‘. He said: I bear Allah as my witness that I have prayed with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) facing towards Makkah. So they turned towards Makkah while they were in that very state. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) liked that his qiblah be changed towards the Ka’bah. He mentioned the entire hadith.