Muslim prayer is directed toward the Kaaba in Mecca. Qur’an 2:144 and Bukhari 399 are the sources used here for the change from the earlier direction toward Al-Quds.[1][2]
Muslim prayer is directed toward the Kaaba
Qur’an 2:144 directs the Prophet and believers toward al-Masjid al-Haram. The present qibla is therefore the Kaaba in Mecca. The historical description of Al-Quds as the first qibla does not mean that Muslims now face Al-Aqsa in their daily prayers.[3]
The earlier direction is recorded in hadith
Sahih al-Bukhari 399 reports prayer toward Bayt al-Maqdis before the turn toward the Kaaba. A parallel report in Bukhari 40 places the sixteen-or-seventeen-month period after the Prophet’s arrival in Medina. These details should be attributed to the reports rather than presented as an architectural date for a surviving building.[4][5]
Qibla and Al-Qibli are related terms, not the same thing
Qibla means the direction faced in prayer. Al-Qibli is the name used for the southern hall on the qibla side of the sanctuary. The hall’s name helps describe its position, while the current direction of prayer is established by the cited religious text. A historical association with Al-Quds remains religiously meaningful without changing that present direction. Neither term makes Al-Qibli the whole Al-Aqsa enclosure.[1][6]
Sources & references
References are attached to the passages they support. Dates below record source consultation.
- Qur’an 2:144 · Direction of prayer
Quran.com · Arabic text and attributed translations · Consulted 2026-09-14
- Sahih al-Bukhari 399 · Prayer toward Bayt al-Maqdis
Sunnah.com · Sahih al-Bukhari · Consulted 2026-09-14
- Qur’an 2:144 · Direction of prayer
2:144
Quran.com · Arabic text and attributed translations · Consulted 2026-09-14
- Sahih al-Bukhari 399 · Prayer toward Bayt al-Maqdis
399
Sunnah.com · Sahih al-Bukhari · Consulted 2026-09-14
- Sahih al-Bukhari 40 · The earlier qibla in Medina
40
Sunnah.com · Sahih al-Bukhari · Consulted 2026-09-14
- A Guide to Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Ash-Sharif (2015)
pp. 6, 8–11
PASSIA · Jerusalem Awqaf · Hashemite Fund · Consulted 2026-09-14