Masjid Qiblatain

• During his time in Mecca, the Prophet Muhammed (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) used to pray towards Bait-al-Maqdis, with the Ka’ bah in front of him. When he migrated to Medina, he prayed towards Jerusalem for 16 months, but he hoped it would be changed to the Ka’ bah.
• During Dhuhr prayer (or it was said that it was Asar), the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) had led his Companions when he was commanded to face towards the Ka’ bah by the following revelation in the Quran in Surah al-Baqarah: “ Verily, We have seen the turning of your (Muhammed’ s) face towards the heaven. Surely, We shall turn you to a Qiblah (prayer direction) that shall please you, so turn your face in the direction of Al-Masjid Al-Haram (at Mecca). And wheresoever you people are, turn your faces (in prayer) in that direction.” [2:144 ]

• The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) turned around towards the Ka’ bah and the Sahabah copied out of obedience. Thus the Ka’ bah became the new Qibla of the Muslims for all time to come.
• Masjid Qiblatain used to uniquely contain two mehrabs, one in the direction of Bait-al-Maqdis and the other towards Mecca. However, the old mehrab has now been covered.

• While it was a day of joy for the Muslims, it was a day of mourning for the Jews. The Muslims had now become completely independent of them and a prophecy in their old books had been fulfilled that the last of the great prophets would change the orientation of the religion of Allah from Jerusalem to the Ancient House of Ebrahim (upon him be peace). Their elders went as a body to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) and said that if he would change his orientation back to Jerusalem, then they would follow him. Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) revealed in the Quran in Surah al-Baqarah: “ And even if thou broughtest unto those who have received the Scriptures all kinds of portents, they would not follow thy Qibla, nor canst thou be a follower of their Qibla; nor are some of them followers of the Qibla of others. And if thou shouldst follow their desires after the knowledge which has come unto thee, then surely wert thou of the evil doers.” [2:145]
• The Muslims began to have a distinctive character while the Jews began to grow closer to the hypocrites and the polytheists. Many of the Hypocrites reverted to either Judaism or paganism, thereby purifying the ranks of the Muslims.
• Imam Ahmed has reported from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) said: “ The People of the Book do not envy us for anything as much as they do for the Friday given to us by Allah with which they are deprived. They also envy us for the Qibla which Allah gave us but not them, and also for the aameen (recital after Surah Fatiha in salah) behind the imam.”