The Masjid al-Qiblatayn (Arabic: مَسْجِد ٱلْقِبْلَتَیْن, lit. ‘Mosque of the Two Qiblas’) is a mosque in Medina that is historically important for Muslims as the place where, after the Islamic Nabi (Prophet) Muhammad (peace be upon him) received the command to change the Qiblah (Direction of Prayer) from Jerusalem to Mecca, the entire congregation led by a companion changed direction in prayer. Thus it uniquely contained two Mihrabs (Prayer niches). The mosque was renovated, in 1988 CE, during the reign of Malik Fahad bin ‘Abdulaziz al-Sa’ud; the old prayer niche facing Jerusalem was removed, and the one facing Mecca was left. The Masjid Al Qiblatayn Mosque is among the earliest mosques that dates to the time of Muhammad (peace be upon him), along with the Quba Mosque and Prophet’s Mosque, considering that the Great Mosques of Mecca and Jerusalem are associated with earlier Prophets in Islamic thought.
