[Machine] We set out in the Hajj in which we pledged our allegiance to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in Al-Aqaba, along with the polytheists of our people. Al-Bara' ibn Ma'rur, our elder, and our leader were with us. When we were in the desert plain, he said, "O people, do you know that I have seen something, but I do not know if you will agree with me or not?" We said, "What is it, O Abu Al-Bashar?" He said, "I saw that I should pray towards this structure and not make it behind me." We said, "No, by Allah, do not do what we have heard that our Prophet ﷺ does not pray except towards Sham (Greater Syria)." He said, "By Allah, I will pray towards it." And whenever the time for prayer approached, he would face the Ka'bah and we would face Sham until we reached Makkah. Al-Bara' ibn Ma'rur said to me, "O nephew, come with us to the Messenger of Allah so that we can ask him about what we have done in this journey. I found something in myself that differed from you, so we went to ask the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. We met a man in Al-Abtah and said to him, "Guide us to Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Abdul-Muttalib." He said, "Do you know him if you see him?" We said, "No, by Allah, we do not know him, and we have not seen the Messenger of Allah ﷺ." He said, "Do you know Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib?" We said, "Yes, and we know him. He used to come to us for trade." He said, "When you enter the mosque, look at Abbas. He is the man with him." So we entered the mosque and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and Abbas were sitting in one corner of the mosque. We greeted him and sat down. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Do you know these two men?" When we were nervous, he said, "Yes, this is Al-Bara' ibn Ma'rur, the leader of his people, and this is Ka'b ibn Malik." Al-Bara' ibn Ma'rur said, "O Messenger of Allah, I have seen something in this journey that I wanted to ask you about, so you can inform me of what I have done." He said, "What is it?" He said, "I saw that I should not make this structure behind me, so I prayed towards it." The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "You were upon the Qiblah (direction of prayer) that if you endured it." So he returned to the Qiblah of the Messenger of Allah and his family while we were saying that he died on it, and we knew better about it. He returned to the Qiblah of the Messenger of Allah and prayed with us towards Sham.
خَرَجْنَا فِي الْحِجَّةِ الَّتِي بَايَعْنَا بِهَا رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ الْعَقَبَةَ مَعَ مُشْرِكِي قَوْمِنَا وَمَعَنَا الْبَرَاءُ بْنُ مَعْرُورٍ كَبِيرُنَا وَسَيِّدُنَا حَتَّى إِذَا كُنَّا بِظَاهِرِ الْبَيْدَاءِ قَالَ يَا هَؤُلَاءِ تَعْلَمُونَ أَنِّي قَدْ رَأَيْتُ رَأَيًا مَا أَدْرِي أَتُوَافِقُونِي عَلَيْهِ أَمْ لَا؟ قُلْنَا مَا هُوَ يَا أَبَا الْبَشَرِ؟ قَالَ رَأَيْتُ أَنِّي أُصَلِّي إِلَى هَذِهِ الْبَنِيَّةِ وَلَا أَجْعَلُهَا مِنِّي بِظَهْرٍ قُلْنَا لَا وَاللهِ لَا تَفْعَلُ مَا بَلَغَنَا أَنَّ نَبِيَّنَا ﷺ لَا يُصَلِّي إِلَّا إِلَى الشَّامِ قَالَ فَإِنِّي وَاللهِ لِمُصَلٍّ إِلَيْهَا وَكَانَ إِذَا حَضَرَتِ الصَّلَاةُ تَوَجَّهَ إِلَى الْكَعْبَةِ وَتَوَجَّهْنَا إِلَى الشَّامِ حَتَّى قَدِمْنَا مَكَّةَ فَقَالَ لِي الْبَرَاءُ بْنُ مَعْرُورٍ يَا ابْنَ أَخِي انْطَلَقْ بِنَا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ حَتَّى نَسْأَلَهُ عَمَّا صَنَعْنَا فِي سَفَرِنَا هَذَا فَلَقَدْ وَجَدْتُ فِي نَفْسِي مِنْهُ بِخِلَافِكُمْ إِيَّايَ فَخَرَجْنَا نَسْأَلُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ فَلَقِيَنَا رَجُلٌ بِالْأَبْطَحِ فَقُلْنَا لَهُ تَدُلُّنَا عَلَى مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ قَالَ وَهَلْ تَعْرِفَانِهِ إِذَا رَأْيُتَمَاهُ؟ قُلْنَا لَا وَاللهِ مَا نَعْرِفُهُ وَلَمْ نَكُنْ رَأَيْنَا رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ فَهَلْ تَعْرَفَانِ الْعَبَّاسَ بْنَ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ؟ قُلْنَا نَعَمْ وَقَدْ كُنَّا نَعْرِفُهُ كَانَ يَخْتَلِفُ إِلَيْنَا بِالتِّجَارَةِ قَالَ فَإِذَا دَخَلْتُمَا الْمَسْجِدَ فَانْظُرَا الْعَبَّاسَ فَهُوَ الرَّجُلُ الَّذِي مَعَهُ فَدَخَلْنَا الْمَسْجِدَ وَرَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ وَالْعَبَّاسُ فِي نَاحِيَةِ الْمَسْجِدِ جَالِسَانِ فَسَلَّمْنَا وَجَلَسْنَا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «هَلْ تَعْرِفُ هَذَيْنِ الرَّجُلَيْنِ؟» فَلَمَّا انْفَتَلَ قَالَ نَعَمْ هَذَا الْبَرَاءُ بْنُ مَعْرُورٍ سَيِّدُ قَوْمِهِ وَهَذَا كَعْبُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ فَوَاللهِ مَا أَنْسَى قَوْلَ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ «الشَّاعِرَ؟» قَالَ نَعَمْ فَقَالَ لَهُ الْبَرَاءُ بْنُ مَعْرُورٍ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ إِنِّي قَدْ كُنْتُ رَأَيْتُ فِي سَفَرِي هَذَا رَأَيًا قَدْ أَحْبَبْتُ أَنْ أَسْأَلَكَ عَنْهُ لَتُخْبِرَنِّي عَمَّا صَنَعْتُ فِيهِ قَالَ «وَمَا ذَلِكَ؟» قَالَ رَأَيْتُ أَنْ لَا أَجْعَلَ هَذِهِ الْبَنِيَّةَ مِنِّي بِظَهْرٍ فَصَلَّيْتُ إِلَيْهَا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «قَدْ كُنْتَ عَلَى قِبْلَةٍ لَوْ صَبَرْتَ إِلَيْهَا» فَرَجَعَ إِلَى قِبْلَةِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ وَأَهْلُهُ يَقُولُونَ قَدْ مَاتَ عَلَيْهَا وَنَحْنُ أَعْلَمُ بِهِ قَدْ رَجَعَ إِلَى قِبْلَةِ رَسُولِ اللهِ فَصَلَّى مَعَنَا إِلَى الشَّامِ