The locations where the Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed in Makkah

والصَّلَاةُ والسَّلاَمُ عَلَى سَيّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ أَشْرَفِ اْلمُرْسَلِيْنَ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ الطَّيّبِيْنَ الطَّاهِرِيْن

It is established in the Sahih that the Prophet ﷺ performed the two rak^ahs of tawaf behind the maqam. It is also narrated from ^Abdu l-Lah ibnu ‘Abi ‘Awfa, may Allah accept his deeds, that the Prophet ﷺ performed ^umrah, circumambulated the Ka^bah, and prayed behind the maqam. It is further related that supplications are answered behind the maqam[1].

^Urwah ibnu z-Zubayr narrated: "I inquired ^Abdu l-Lah ibnu ^Umar, and he informed me of the gravest action the idolaters committed against the Prophet ﷺ saying: 'While the Prophet ﷺ was praying in the hijr of the Ka^bah[2], ^Uqbah ibnu ^Amir ibnu ‘Abi Mu^ayt approached him and placed his garment around his neck, choking him severely. Then ‘Abu Bakr came forward, seized his shoulders, and pushed him away from the Prophet ﷺ and said: 'Do you kill a man merely for saying, "My Lord is Allah"?'"[3].

It is related from Ibn ^Abbas, who reported from the Prophet ﷺ: "Jibril (Gabriel) – peace be upon him – came to me twice at the door of the Ka^bah when the prayer was made obligatory"[4].

Al-‘Azraqiyy further narrated that Ādam – peace be upon him – circumambulated the Ka^bah seven times upon descending to the earth, then prayed two rak^ahs[5] facing its door[6].

In the Sahih, ‘Usamah ibnu Zayd reported that when the Prophet ﷺ exited the Ka^bah, he bowed facing “Al-Bayt” (lit. the House) and said: “هذه القبلة “ (This is the Qiblah)[7].

It has been said that what I meant by “Al-Bayt” refers to its front side, the one that contains the door.

Ibnu ^Umar, may Allah accept his deeds, stated: 'Al-Bayt in its entirety is a Qiblah, and what is meant by its Qiblah is its front side. If you cannot manage that, then it is incumbent upon you to follow the Qiblah of the Prophet ﷺ,' i.e., the area beneath the mīzāb[8].

Al-Muttalib ibn 'Abi Wada^ah narrated: "I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, after completing seven [rounds of tawaf], come to face the corner (of the Ka^bah) and pray two rak^ahs at the edge of the mataf (circumambulation area), with no one standing between him and the circumambulating people." This was narrated by ‘Ahmad and Ibnu Majah.

It is also narrated from him that the Prophet ﷺ prayed facing the Black Stone corner while men and women passed in front of him, and there was no barrier (sutrah) between him and them.

It is also narrated that the Prophet ﷺ prayed at the edge of the mataf next to the gate of Banu Sahm, with the door behind him while people were passing in front of him. There was no barrier between him and the Ka^bah. The gate of Banu Sahm is the one that is now called the Gate of ^Umrah.

Ibnu ‘Ishaq reported that the Prophet ﷺ used to pray between the two Yemeni corners[9].

The work ‘Akhbaru Makkah by Al-‘Azraqiyy mentions that ‘Adam – peace be upon him – bowed beside the Yemeni corner. Sheikh ^Izzu d-Din Ibnu ^Abdi s-Salam said that the pit adjacent to the Ka^bah near the door is the place where Jibril (Gabriel) – peace be upon him – prayed with the Prophet ﷺ for the five daily prayers on the two days when Allah made them obligatory for his ‘Ummah, teaching him the times of prayer.

All the places where the Prophet ﷺ prayed in Makkah

It is said that all the locations where the Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed in Makkah are ten :

1. Behind the maqam
2. Facing the Black Stone at the edge of the mataf (circumambulation area)
3. Close to the corner, near the Black Stone
4. At the door of the Ka^bah, twice
5. Opposite the corner next to the Black Stone, on the western side[10]
6. In front of the Ka^bah
7. Between the two Yemeni corners The Prophet ﷺ said:

“ما بين الركن الأسود والركن اليماني روضة من رياض الجنة“

"What is between the Black Stone and the Yemeni corner is a garden from the gardens of Paradise."

1. In the Hijr (the semi-circular area of the Ka^bah)
2. Inside the Ka^bah It is confirmed that the Prophet ﷺ prayed inside the Ka^bah, with two columns to his left, one column to his right, and three columns behind him. At that time, the Ka^bah had six columns.
3. In the prayer place of ‘Adam[11], which is in front of the door of the Ka^bah.

It has also been reported that the Prophet ﷺ prayed beside the Yemeni corner. It is recommended to pray in these blessed places, following the practice of the Prophet ﷺ. 

 _____________________________________________________________________

[1] Ibnu Kathir, in his commentary on the verse:

{وَاتَّخِذُوا مِن مَّقَامِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ مُصَلًّى}

“And take the maqam of Ibrahim as a place of prayer”,

cited Ibnu ‘Abi Hatim, who reported: Al-Hasan ibnu Muhammad narrated with his chain of transmission to Jabir, in his account of the Prophet’s pilgrimage: “When the Prophet ﷺ performed the circumambulation, ^Umar said to him: ‘Is this the maqam of our father?’ The Prophet ﷺ replied: ‘Yes.’ ^Umar then said: ‘Should we not take it as a place of prayer?’ Thereupon, Allah revealed:

{وَاتَّخِذُوا مِن مَّقَامِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ مُصَلًّى}

“And take the maqam of Ibrahim as a place of prayer”

[2] The Hijr of the Ka^bah is the incomplete section of its structure, located to the left of the Ka^bah’s door. It is referred to as the Hijr of Isma^il or al-Hatim. Among the narrations regarding it is what was reported by ‘Abu Dawud with his chain of transmission from ^A’ishah – may Allah accept her deeds – who said: “I used to wish to enter the House and pray within it. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ took me by the hand, led me into the Hijr, and said:

“صَلِّي فِي الْحِجْرِ إِذَا أَرَدْتِ دُخُولَ الْبَيْتِ فَإِنَّ قَوْمَكِ اقْتَصَرُوا حِينَ بَنَوْا الْكَعْبَةَ فَأَخْرَجُوهُ مِنَ الْبَيْتِ“

‘Pray in the Hijr if you wish to enter the House, for your people fell short when they built the Ka^bah and excluded it from the House.’”

[3] Sahih Al-Bukhariyy, by Al-Bukhariyy.

[4] Narrated by Imam Ash-Shafi^iyy with a sound chain of transmission (‘isnād hasan).

[5] Akhbaru Makkah, by Al-‘Azraqiyy (1/348).

[6] Explanation of the term “وجاه”with both dammah and kasrah of the letter "waw," meaning "what faces or opposes it" (Ash-Shafi^iyy in Sharh Musnad Ash-Shafi^iyy, by Ibnu l-‘Athir, 2/239).

[7] Sahih Al-Bukhariyy, by Al-Bukhariyy (1/110).  Sahih Muslim, by Muslim (Kitabu l-Hajj, 395).  Musnad ‘Ahmad, by ‘Ahmad (5/209, 210). As-Sunan, by Ad-Daraqutniyy (2/52). Sahih Ibnu Khuzaymah, by Ibnu Khuzaymah (3004).

[8] ‘Akhbār Makkah, by Al-‘Azraqiyy (1/350, 351).

[9] Al-Bayhaqiyy narrated in As-Sunanu l-Kubra through his chain to ^Amr ibnu Shu^ayb, from his father, who said: "I performed tawaf with ^Abdu l-Lah. When we reached the rear of the Ka^bah, I said to him: ‘Do you not seek refuge (in Allah)?' He said: 'I seek refuge in Allah from the Fire.' He then proceeded and made contact with the Black Stone. After that, he stood between the two corners and the door—or, in another version, between the corner and the door—placing his chest, face, forearms, and palms flat against it, spreading them out. Then he said: 'This is how I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ  act.'"

[10] ‘Akhbār Makkah, by Al-‘Azraqiyy (1/348).

[11] Al-‘Azraqiyy also narrated, through his chain of transmission in the previous passage, from ^Abdu l-Lah ibnu ‘Abi Sulayman, a slave of Bani Makhzum, who said: "’Adam performed seven rounds of tawaf around the House when he descended to Earth. He then prayed two rak^ahs in front of the Ka^bah. Afterwards, he went to the Multazam (the area between the Ka^bah and the Black Stone) and said:

"اللهم إنك تعلم سريرتي وعلانيتي، فاقبل معذرتي، وتعلم ما في نفسي وما عندي فاغفر لي ذنوبي، وتعلم حاجتي فأعطني سؤلي، اللهم إني أسالك إيمانا يباشر قلبي، ويقينا صادقا حتى أعلم أنه لن يصيبني إلا ما كتبت لي والرضا بما قضيت علي"

'O Allah, You know my inner and outer states, so accept my apology. You know what is in my soul and what is with me, so forgive my sins. You know my needs, so grant me my request. O Allah, I ask You for faith that settles in my heart, and to increase sincere certainty that nothing will happen to me except what You have decreed for me, and contentment with what You have decreed upon me.'

Then Allah revealed to him:

"يا ءادم قد دعوتني بدعوات واستجيب لك ولن يدعوني بها أحد من ولدك إلا كشفت همومه وكففت عليه ضيعته ونزعت الفقر من قلبه وجعلت الغنى في عينيه، وتجرت له من وراء تجارة كل تاجر وأتته الدنيا وهي راغمة، وإن كان لا يريدها"

'O ’Adam, you have called upon Me with supplications, and they have been answered. No one from your descendants will call upon Me with these words except that I will relieve their concerns, secure their livelihood, remove poverty from their hearts, and grant them wealth in their eyes. I will grant them the success of every trader. The world’s riches will be brought to him, submissive and humbled, even if he does not desire it.'

He said: 'The practice of tawaf originated with ’Adam’s circumambulation of the Ka^bah.'"