“When the Prophet ﷺ prayed on the day of ‘Eid or on another occasion, a small spear was set up in front of him, and he prayed facing it, and the people were behind him.” Nafiʿ said: It is from here that the leaders have taken this practice.
كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ إِذَا صَلَّى يَوْمَ عِيدٍ أَوْ غَيْرَهُ نُصِبَتِ الْحَرْبَةُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ فَيُصَلِّي إِلَيْهَا وَالنَّاسُ مِنْ خَلْفِهِ قَالَ نَافِعٌ فَمِنْ ثَمَّ اتَّخَذَهَا الأُمَرَاءُ