Qibla means the direction faced in prayer. The hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari 399 records the Prophet praying toward Bayt al-Maqdis before turning toward the Kaaba. Qur’an 2:144 directs prayer toward al-Masjid al-Haram. This is the basis for describing Al-Quds as the first qibla in Muslim tradition.[1][2]
In this guide
A direction, not the name of a building
Qibla is a relationship between the worshipper and the direction of prayer. It is not another name for a golden dome or a specific later prayer hall. The southern mosque’s name, Al-Qibli, relates to its position on the qibla side of the sanctuary. Keeping the directional term separate from the building name prevents a common confusion in introductory accounts.[3][2]
What the report actually says
The report attributed to al-Bara ibn Azib gives “sixteen or seventeen months” for prayer toward Bayt al-Maqdis. Bukhari 40 explicitly places this period after the Prophet’s arrival in Medina. The custodial guide summarizes it as sixteen months. Retaining the report’s alternative wording avoids presenting an exact uncontested duration, and identifying the Medina context prevents this figure being mistaken for the whole history of prayer toward Al-Quds.[4][5][6]
The change toward al-Masjid al-Haram
Qur’an 2:144 directs the Prophet and believers toward al-Masjid al-Haram. The Bukhari report connects the change with the Kaaba and describes people turning after being informed. The significance of Al-Quds in this account is historical and religious; it does not establish Al-Quds as the present direction for Muslim prayer.[7][4]
The surviving buildings came later
The Dome of the Rock’s completion in 691–692 and the southern mosque’s major Umayyad building phases are later than the Prophet’s lifetime. Thus “first qibla” should not be illustrated in a way that implies the present buildings were already standing in their current forms. A modern photograph represents the place as it looks now, not the architecture of the episode narrated in the hadith.[8][9][1]
A careful way to explain the connection
Begin with the definition of qibla, identify the report about Al-Quds, and then explain the change toward Mecca. Only after that should the reader move to the present sanctuary and its named structures. This order separates a religious historical event from an architectural identification and avoids converting the date of a surviving monument into the beginning of a religious relationship.[1][2][9]
Sources & references
References are attached to the passages they support. Dates below record source consultation.
- 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
Quran.com · Arabic text and attributed translations · 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
- 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)
p. 3
PASSIA · Jerusalem Awqaf · Hashemite Fund · Consulted 2026-09-14
- Qur’an 2:144 · Direction of prayer
2:144
Quran.com · Arabic text and attributed translations · Consulted 2026-09-14
- The Dome of the Rock · Ana Botchkareva
The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Consulted 2026-09-14
- Jamiʿ al-Aqsa
Archnet · Aga Khan Documentation Center, MIT · Consulted 2026-09-14