[Machine] We set out during the pilgrimage season in which we pledged allegiance to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at Al-Aqaba. The polytheists of our people, along with the senior members of our community, including the Prophet's cousin Al-Bara' bin Ma'rur, went with us. When we reached the outskirts of the wilderness, he said, "O people, you know that I have seen a vision and I do not know if you will agree with me or not." We asked, "What is it, O Abu Al-Bashar?" He said, "I saw that I am praying towards this structure and I do not take it as my Qibla. We responded, "No, by Allah, you should not do what we have been informed that our Prophet ﷺ does not pray except towards Ash-Sham (the Levant)." He said, "By Allah, I am going to pray towards it." He used to face the Ka'bah when the time for prayer came, but we faced Ash-Sham until we reached Makkah. Then Al-Bara' bin Ma'rur said to me, "O my nephew, go to the Messenger of Allah and ask him about what we have done on this journey, for I have noticed a difference between him and you." So, we went to ask the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and we met a man at the entrance of At-Tan'im. We asked him to direct us to Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Abdul-Muttalib. He asked, "Do you recognize him if you see him?" We replied, "No, by Allah, we do not recognize him, nor have we seen the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ." He then asked, "Do you recognize Al-Abbas bin Abdul-Muttalib?" We replied, "Yes, we do. We are familiar with him as he used to visit us for trade." He said, "When you enter the Masjid, look for Al-Abbas, for he is the man accompanying him." So, we entered the Masjid and found the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and Al-Abbas sitting to the side. We greeted them and sat down. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Do you recognize these two men?" When he paused, we replied, "Yes, this is Al-Bara' bin Ma'rur, the leader of his people, and this is Ka'b bin Malik." Al-Bara' bin Ma'rur then asked, "O Messenger of Allah, I have seen something in this journey that I wanted to ask you about, so you could inform me of what I have done." The Prophet ﷺ asked, "What is it?" Al-Bara' replied, "I saw that I should not take this structure as my Qibla, so I prayed towards it. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "You were upon a previous Qibla, if you had been patient and continued to pray towards it." So, the Prophet ﷺ returned to the previous Qibla and his family and companions were saying that he had died upon it, and we were more aware of him. He returned to the previous Qibla and performed the prayer with us facing Ash-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