Medinah Sharif, Saudi Arabia
Coordinates: 24.482651, 39.581440
Al-Qiblatain Mosque (‘Mosque of the Two Qiblas’) is a mosque in Medinah Sharif believed by Muslims to be the place where the final Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, received the command to change the Qibla (direction of prayer) from Jerusalem to Mecca.
It is one of the few mosques in the world to have contained two mihrabs (niches indicating the qibla) in different directions.
As part of a renovation in 1988, during the reign of King Fahd, the old prayer niche facing Jerusalem was removed, and the one facing Mecca sharif was left.
The Qiblatain Mosque is among the earliest mosques that date to the time of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, along with the Quba’a Mosque and Masjid an-Nabawi, considering that the Great Mosques of Mecca Sharif and Jerusalem are associated with earlier Prophets in Islamic thought.
History
Hz. Muhammad ﷺ received revelation from Allah instructing him to take the Kaaba as the qibla during the Dhuhr prayer, instead of the qibla of the Jews, which was the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
He later announced this to his companions in his own mosque, after which the news began to spread. Many pilgrims who go to Mecca sharif for Hajj often visit Medinah sharif, where some visit this mosque because of its historical significance.
Quranic Narration:
Indeed, We see you ‘O Prophet turning your face towards heaven. Now We will make you turn towards a direction of prayer that will please you. So turn your face towards the Sacred Mosque in Mecca — wherever you are, turn your faces towards it. Those who were given the Scripture certainly know this to be the truth from their Lord. And Allah is never unaware of what they do. – Qur’an, 2:144
A hadith from Sahih Bukhari says:
Narrated Hz. Ibn Umar رضي الله عنه: While some people were offering Fajr prayer at Quba’ (mosque), some-one came to them and said, “Tonight some Qur’anic Verses have been revealed to the Prophet ﷺ and he has been ordered to face the Kaaba (during prayers), so you too should turn your faces towards it.” At that time their faces were towards Shaam (Jerusalem) so they turned towards the Kaaba (at Mecca Sharif).
