Jami' at-Tirmidhi
Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2962
حَدَّثَنَا هَنَّادٌ، حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ، عَنْ إِسْرَائِيلَ، عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، عَنِ الْبَرَاءِ بْنِ عَازِبٍ، قَالَ لَمَّا قَدِمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم الْمَدِينَةَ صَلَّى نَحْوَ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ سِتَّةَ أَوْ سَبْعَةَ عَشَرَ شَهْرًا وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُحِبُّ أَنْ يُوَجَّهَ إِلَى الْكَعْبَةِ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ: ( قَدْ نَرَى تَقَلُّبَ وَجْهِكَ فِي السَّمَاءِ فَلَنُوَلِّيَنَّكَ قِبْلَةً تَرْضَاهَا فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ ) فَوَجَّهَ نَحْوَ الْكَعْبَةِ وَكَانَ يُحِبُّ ذَلِكَ فَصَلَّى رَجُلٌ مَعَهُ الْعَصْرَ قَالَ ثُمَّ مَرَّ عَلَى قَوْمٍ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ وَهُمْ رُكُوعٌ فِي صَلاَةِ الْعَصْرِ نَحْوَ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ فَقَالَ هُوَ يَشْهَدُ أَنَّهُ صَلَّى مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَأَنَّهُ قَدْ وُجِّهَ إِلَى الْكَعْبَةِ قَالَ فَانْحَرَفُوا وَهُمْ رُكُوعٌ . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ وَقَدْ رَوَاهُ سُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib reported: ‘When the Messenger of Allah arrived in Medina, he prayed toward Jerusalem for sixteen or seventeen months. He wished to face the Ka‘bah, so Allah revealed: “We have seen you turning your face toward heaven, so We will surely turn you toward a qiblah that pleases you. Turn your face toward the Sacred Mosque” (Qur’an 2:144). He then faced the Ka‘bah, which he had wished for. A man prayed the afternoon prayer with him. He later passed some Ansar praying the afternoon prayer while bowing toward Jerusalem. The man testified that he had prayed with the Messenger of Allah and that he had turned to face the Ka‘bah. So they turned around while bowing.’ Abu ‘Isa graded this hadith hasan sahih and noted that Sufyan al-Thawri also reported it from Abu Ishaq.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source gives the duration as ‘sixteen or seventeen months.’