While the people were performing the Fajr prayer in Qubā' Mosque, someone came saying: Tonight, (a portion of the) Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and he was ordered to face the Qiblah, so face it.

Explanation

One of the Companions went out to Qubā' Mosque in the outskirts of Madīnah, and he found that the people there had not received the news of the abrogation of the prayer direction, and were still praying toward the first Qiblah. So, he informed them that the prayer direction was changed toward the Ka‘bah, and that Qur'anic verses relating to that matter had been revealed to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), alluding to the verse where Allah, the Exalted, says: {We have certainly seen the turning of your face toward the heaven, and We will surely turn you to a Qiblah with which you will be pleased. So turn your face toward the Sacred Mosque. And wherever you [believers] are, turn your faces toward it [in prayer]. Indeed, those who have been given the Scripture well know that it is the truth from their Lord. And Allah is not unaware of what they do} [Al-Baqarah: 144]. He also informed them that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was then facing the direction of the Ka‘bah. Thanks to their quick and sound understanding, they turned from the direction of Bayt al-Maqdis in Jerusalem – their first Qiblah – to their second Qiblah, which was the honorable Ka‘bah.

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