English Translation

Hasan ibn Musa told us: Zuhayr told us: Abu Ishaq told us, from al-Bara' ibn Azib, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, when he first came to Medina, stayed with his maternal ancestors and maternal uncles among the Ansar, and that he prayed facing Jerusalem for sixteen or seventeen months, and he loved that his qiblah be toward the [Ka'bah] House. The first prayer he prayed [facing the Ka'bah] was the afternoon prayer, and a group prayed with him. Then a man who had prayed with him went out and passed by the people of a mosque who were bowing in prayer, and he said, "I bear witness by Allah that I prayed with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, facing Mecca." So they turned, as they were, toward the [Ka'bah] House. He loved that [the qiblah] be turned toward the House, and the Jews and People of the Book had been pleased when he prayed toward Jerusalem; but when he turned his face toward the House, they disapproved of that.