The Book of the Qiblah

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Muhammad ibn Ismail ibn Ibrahim informed us: Ishaq ibn Yusuf Al-Azraq narrated to us from Zakariyya ibn Abi Za'idah, from Abu Ishaq, from Al-Bara ibn Azib, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to Madinah and prayed toward Bayt Al-Maqdis for sixteen months. Then he was turned toward the Ka‘bah. A man who had prayed with the Prophet ﷺ passed by some of the Ansar and said, 'I bear witness that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has been turned toward the Ka‘bah.' So they turned toward the Ka‘bah.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Qutaybah narrated to us from Malik ibn Anas, from Abdullah ibn Dinar, from Ibn Umar, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray while traveling on his mount, facing whichever direction it took him. Malik said: Abdullah ibn Dinar said that Ibn Umar used to do the same.

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Isa ibn Hammad informed us: Ibn Wahb narrated to us: Yunus informed me from Ibn Shihab, from Salim, from Abdullah, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray on his mount facing whichever direction it took him, and he would pray witr on it, but he did not perform the obligatory prayer on it.

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Qutaybah narrated to us from Malik, from Abdullah ibn Dinar, from Ibn Umar, who said: While the people at Quba were praying the dawn prayer, someone came to them and said, 'Revelation was sent down to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ last night, and he has been commanded to face the qiblah, so face it.' They had been facing toward Syria, so they turned toward the Ka‘bah.

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Al-Abbas ibn Muhammad Ad-Duri informed us: Abdullah ibn Yazid narrated to us: Haywah ibn Shurayh narrated to us from Abu Al-Aswad, from Urwah, from Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, who said: During the campaign to Tabuk, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked about the screen used by someone praying. He said, 'Something like the rear pommel of a saddle.'

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Ubaydullah ibn Sa‘id narrated to us: Yahya narrated to us from Ubaydullah, who said: Nafi‘ informed us, from Ibn Umar, from the Prophet ﷺ, who said: He used to plant a short spear in the ground and pray toward it.

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Ali ibn Hujr and Ishaq ibn Mansur informed us; they said: Sufyan narrated to us from Safwan ibn Sulaym, from Nafi‘ ibn Jubayr, from Sahl ibn Abi Hathmah, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'When one of you prays facing a sutrah, let him stand close to it, so that Satan does not interrupt his prayer.'

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Muhammad ibn Salamah and Al-Harith ibn Miskin informed us, in a reading to him while I listened, from Ibn Al-Qasim, who said: Malik narrated to me from Nafi‘, from Abdullah ibn Umar, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ entered the Ka‘bah with Usamah ibn Zayd, Bilal, and Uthman ibn Talhah Al-Hajabi, and closed its door behind them. Abdullah ibn Umar said: When Bilal came out, I asked him, 'What did the Messenger of Allah ﷺ do?' He replied, 'He placed one pillar to his left, two pillars to his right, and three pillars behind him. At that time the House stood on six pillars. Then he prayed, with about three cubits between him and the wall.'

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Amr ibn Ali informed us: Yazid informed us: Yunus narrated to us from Humayd ibn Hilal, from Abdullah ibn As-Samit, from Abu Dharr, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'When one of you stands to pray, something as high as the rear pommel of a saddle in front of him serves as a screen. If there is nothing of that height in front of him, then a woman, a donkey, or a black dog cuts off his prayer.' I asked, 'What is the difference between the black dog and the yellow or red one?' He replied that he had asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ the same question and was told that the black dog is a devil.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Amr ibn Ali narrated to us: Yahya ibn Sa‘id narrated to us: Shu‘bah and Hisham narrated to me from Qatadah, who said: I asked Jabir ibn Zayd, 'What interrupts the prayer?' He replied, 'Ibn Abbas used to say: a menstruating woman and a dog.' Yahya said: Shu‘bah attributed this report to the Prophet ﷺ.

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Muhammad ibn Mansur narrated to us from Sufyan, who said: Az-Zuhri narrated to us: Ubaydullah informed me, from Ibn Abbas, who said: Al-Fadl and I came riding one of our female donkeys while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was leading the people in prayer at Arafah. He then said words to this effect: We passed in front of part of a row, dismounted, and left the donkey grazing. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said nothing to us.

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Abdur-Rahman ibn Khalid informed us: Hajjaj narrated to us: Ibn Jurayj said: Muhammad ibn Umar ibn Ali informed me, from Abbas ibn Ubaydullah ibn Abbas, from Al-Fadl ibn Al-Abbas, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ visited Al-Abbas at a place of ours in the countryside. We had a small dog and a donkey grazing there. The Prophet ﷺ prayed the afternoon prayer while the two animals were in front of him; neither was driven away nor moved.

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Abu Al-Ash‘ath informed us: Khalid narrated to us: Shu‘bah narrated to us, that Al-Hakam informed him: I heard Yahya ibn Al-Jazzar relate from Suhayb, who said: I heard Ibn Abbas relate that he and a young boy from Banu Hashim passed in front of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on a donkey while he was praying. They dismounted, joined the prayer with him, and he continued praying. Then two young girls from Banu Abd Al-Muttalib came running and grabbed his knees. He separated them, and he continued praying.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Isma‘il ibn Mas‘ud informed us: Khalid narrated to us: Shu‘bah narrated to us from Mansur, from Ibrahim, from Al-Aswad, from Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, who said: I was in front of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ while he was praying. When I wanted to get up, I disliked having to pass in front of him, so I quietly slipped away.

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Qutaybah narrated to us from Malik, from Abu An-Nadr, from Busr ibn Sa‘id, that Zayd ibn Khalid sent him to Abu Juhaim to ask what he had heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say about someone passing in front of a person praying. Abu Juhaim said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'If the person passing in front of someone praying knew what burden he incurs, standing for forty would be better for him than passing in front of that person.'

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Qutaybah narrated to us from Malik, from Zayd ibn Aslam, from Abdur-Rahman ibn Abi Sa‘id, from Abu Sa‘id, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'When one of you is praying, let him not allow anyone to pass in front of him. If the person refuses, then let him resist him.'

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Ishaq ibn Ibrahim informed us: Isa ibn Yunus narrated to us: Abd Al-Malik ibn Abd Al-Aziz ibn Jurayj narrated to us from Kathir ibn Kathir, from his father, from his grandfather, who said: I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ circumambulate the House seven times, then pray two rak‘ahs beside it at the edge of the Station. No one was between him and those performing tawaf.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Ubaydullah ibn Sa‘id narrated to us: Yahya narrated to us from Hisham, who said: My father narrated to us from Aishah, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray at night while I was lying asleep on his bed, stretched between him and the qiblah. When he wanted to pray witr, he would wake me, and I would pray witr.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Ali ibn Hujr narrated to us: Al-Walid narrated to us from Ibn Jabir, from Busr ibn Ubaydullah, from Wathilah ibn Al-Asqa, from Abu Marthad Al-Ghanawi, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'Do not pray facing graves, and do not sit on them.'

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Muhammad ibn Abd Al-Ala As-San‘ani informed us: Khalid narrated to us: Shu‘bah narrated to us from Abdur-Rahman ibn Al-Qasim, who said: I heard Al-Qasim relate from Aishah, who said: There was a cloth in my house with images on it. I placed it in a recess in the house, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray facing it. Then he said, 'Aishah, move it away from me.' I removed it and made it into cushions.