Mosque of the Two Qiblas
مسجد القبلتين
The Banu Salama mosque of Medina, named 'of the two qiblas' because the qibla was turned in it: Ibn Zabala reports that a man of Banu Salama reached them at dawn prayer with word of the change and they turned mid-prayer to the Kaaba — while al-Zamakhshari and the sira tradition make the change fall at zuhr when the Prophet ﷺ had prayed two rak'as with his Companions, then turned to face the Mizab, the men and women exchanging places; Ibn Hajar reconciles the reports, and al-Majd notes that on Ibn Zabala's version Quba mosque would better deserve the name 1. Ibn Zabala ascribes the mosque to Banu Sawad ibn Ghanm of Banu Salama by al-Midhad, against al-Matari's ascription to Banu Haram 2.
At a glance
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
In space
Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph
Overview
The mosque of Banu Salima in Medina, in the house of Banu Salima near al-Madhadh. It is called the Mosque of the Two Qiblas because the qibla was changed there. It is a place linked with the event of the change of the qibla. 1
Why it is called that
Al-Samhudi reports from Ibn Zabala that a man from Banu Salima came to them while they were praying the dawn prayer, and told them that the qibla had been changed. They turned around after having prayed two rak'as, until they faced the Ka'ba. 1
Differing reports
There is disagreement among the transmitters about the time of the change. Al-Zamakhshari and the writers of the biographies place it at the noon prayer, when the Prophet prayed two rak'as with his companions and then turned and faced the spout, and the men moved to the women's place and the women to the men's. 1
Ibn Hajar reconciled the reports. Al-Majd noted that according to the report of Ibn Zabala, the mosque of Quba was the more fitting to carry this name. 1
Whose mosque it was
According to Ibn Zabala, the mosque belonged to Banu Sawad ibn Ghanm ibn Ka'b ibn Salima, in the area of al-Madhadh. Al-Mutarri returned it to Banu Haram. 2
Connections
- Located in
- Medina
- Site of
- The change of the qibla
- Related to
- Banu Salima
People and things also explored
The Hijra· Muwatta 525· Muhammad· The change of the qibla· Medina· Prophet's Mosque· The Sanctuary of Medina· Judaism in Arabia before Islam
Sources
- Wafa al-Wafa bi-akhbar dar al-Mustafa — al-Samhudi (older print), p. 373-376
- Wafa al-Wafa bi-akhbar dar al-Mustafa — al-Samhudi (older print), p. 213
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Mosque of the Two Qiblas”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/building/masjid-al-qiblatayn/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.