65/2.19. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 4493 — Keeping Prayer Posture While Turning
"And from wheresoever you start forth (for prayers) turn your face in the direction of AI-Masjid-al-Haram (at Makkah)..." (V.2:149)
Hadith About Changing Qibla While Praying
Sahih Bukhari : 4493
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 4493
حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ مُسْلِمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ دِينَارٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ ابْنَ عُمَرَ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ يَقُولُ بَيْنَا النَّاسُ فِي الصُّبْحِ بِقُبَاءٍ إِذْ جَاءَهُمْ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ أُنْزِلَ اللَّيْلَةَ قُرْآنٌ، فَأُمِرَ أَنْ يَسْتَقْبِلَ الْكَعْبَةَ، فَاسْتَقْبِلُوهَا. وَاسْتَدَارُوا كَهَيْئَتِهِمْ، فَتَوَجَّهُوا إِلَى الْكَعْبَةِ وَكَانَ وَجْهُ النَّاسِ إِلَى الشَّأْمِ.
Ibn 'Umar Narrated from:
While some people were at Quba (offering) morning prayer, a man came to them and said, "Last night Qur'anic Verses have been revealed whereby the Prophet (ﷺ) has been ordered to face the Ka`ba (at Mecca), so you too should face it." So they, keeping their postures, turned towards the Ka`ba. Formerly the people were facing Sham (Jerusalem) (Allah said):--"And from whence-so-ever you start forth (for prayers), turn your face in the direction of the Sacred Mosque of Mecca (Al-Masjid-ul-Haram), and whence-so-ever you are, turn your face towards it (when you pray)" (2.150)
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 4493In-book reference : Book 65, Hadith 20USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 6, Book 60, Hadith 20
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 4493
This hadith about changing Qibla while praying adds an important wording: the people turned while keeping their postures. They were in morning prayer at Quba when a man told them that Qur'anic verses had been revealed during the night, ordering the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to face the Kaaba. Their faces had been toward Sham, and they turned toward the Kaaba. The report highlights both obedience and orderliness. They did not stop the prayer in the wording given here; they turned as they were. For readers looking for the Qibla change hadith, this narration helps show how the command reached people outside the Prophet's mosque and how quickly they acted.
What we learn from this hadith
- The people were in morning prayer when the message came.
- They kept their prayer postures while turning, as stated in the text.
- The command was described as Qur'anic revelation from the night before.
- The report shows a direct response to the new Qibla.
