MOSQUE OF AL-QIBLATAYN (THE TWO QIBLAS)
The Mosque of the Two Qiblas.
The mosque where the prayer turned
In all of human history, there exists only one place where, in the middle of prayer, worshippers turned 180 degrees to pray in the opposite direction. This place is here. In Medina, in the neighborhood of Banu Salama, fourteen centuries ago.
Imagine. The Prophet ﷺ is leading the Dhuhr prayer. The worshippers are lined up behind him, facing north — towards Bayt al-Maqdis, Jerusalem. They have been praying this way for 16 or 17 months.
And suddenly, in the middle of the second rak'ah, revelation descends.
The angel Jibreel appears. The Prophet ﷺ receives the verse. And he pivots. Without interrupting the prayer. He turns around, facing south — towards the Kaaba, Mecca. The worshippers behind him do the same. The rows are reversed. And the prayer continues. One prayer, two qiblas. A single time in History.
The verse of revelation
"Indeed, We see you turning your face toward the heaven. So We will surely turn you to a qibla with which you will be pleased. So turn your face toward the Sacred Mosque. And wherever you are, turn your faces toward it." (Surah Al-Baqarah, 144)
This verse was revealed here, in this mosque. It forever changed the direction of prayer for more than one and a half billion Muslims around the world and throughout the centuries. You pray towards Mecca? It is thanks to what happened here.
Authentic Hadith
Al-Bara ibn Azib (رضي الله عنه) reported: "The Prophet ﷺ prayed towards Bayt al-Maqdis for sixteen or seventeen months, then he was directed towards the Kaaba." (Sahih al-Bukhari no. 399 · Sahih Muslim no. 525)
Ibn Umar (رضي الله عنه) adds: "While the people were in Quba performing the Fajr prayer, suddenly someone came to them and said: 'This night, a revelation has descended upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and he has been commanded to turn towards the Kaaba.' Their faces were towards the Sham. They turned towards the Kaaba." (Sahih al-Bukhari no. 403)
Why this change
During the 13 years in Mecca, the Prophet ﷺ prayed towards Bayt al-Maqdis — the same direction as the Jews and Christians. This showed the unity of the Abrahamic message. But the Prophet ﷺ loved Mecca. He often looked up to the sky, hoping for a sign. Allah saw him. And eventually, Allah granted him what he desired.
This change marked:
- The spiritual independence of Islam
- The direct link with Ibrahim, the founder of the Kaaba
- A test to distinguish true believers from hypocrites
- The old one — oriented towards Jerusalem (preserved for historical memory)
- The new one — oriented towards Mecca (used for prayer)
The Builder
The mosque was originally built by Sawad ibn Ghanam ibn Ka'b al-Ansari (رضي الله عنه), from the clan of Banu Salama.
The Mosque Today
The mosque was beautifully reconstructed in 1987 under King Fahd. Unique feature: it retains two mihrabs (prayer niches):