The aforesaid tradition has also been transmitted by Malik through a different chain of narrators. He (‘Abd Al Rahman bin Mahdi) did not mention the words “pillars”. This version adds “He then prayed and there was a distance of three cubits between him and the qiblah.”
عَنْ مَالِكٍ بِهَذَا الْحَدِيثِ لَمْ يَذْكُرِ السَّوَارِيَ قَالَ ثُمَّ صَلَّى وَبَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ الْقِبْلَةِ ثَلاَثَةُ أَذْرُعٍ