Ma'bad bin Ka'b, on the authority of his brother Abdullah bin Ka'b, from his father and other individuals, narrates: These people made a promise to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that they would meet him the following year in Mecca along with their companions from their own tribe. Then, the next year, seventy individuals set out who had left the land of polytheism. Sayyiduna Ka'b bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: When we reached the place of Bida’, Sayyiduna Bara’ bin Ma’rur (may Allah be pleased with him), who was our elder and our leader, said: I have an opinion—by Allah! I do not know whether you will agree with me or not. My opinion is that I should not turn my back to this building—meaning the Ka'bah—and that I should face it while praying. We said: Do not do so, because according to the information that has reached us, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) prays facing towards Syria, i.e., Bayt al-Maqdis, so we cannot pray facing any direction other than the Qiblah of the Prophet (peace be upon him). We rejected his opinion. He also did not accept our view, and then we moved on. When the time for prayer came, he prayed facing the Ka'bah, and we prayed facing Syria. We came to Mecca.

Sayyiduna Ka'b bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Sayyiduna Bara’ bin Ma’rur (may Allah be pleased with him) said to me: By Allah! O my nephew, what I did during this journey has come to my mind. The narrator says: We did not recognize the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) by face; we were familiar with the face of Sayyiduna Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with him) because he used to come and go to us for trade, and we would see him. So, we set out in Mecca to inquire about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and when we reached Batha’, we met a man and asked him about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). He asked: Do you know him? We said: No, by Allah! No. He said: Go inside and see the person sitting with Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him); he is the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). I have just left him sitting there. The narrator says: We left from there until we reached the service of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and he was with Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both). We greeted both of them and sat down with them. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) asked: O Abbas, do you know these two? He replied: Yes, both of them belong to the Khazraj tribe. (The narrator says:) At that time, the Ansar were recognized by their tribes, Aws and Khazraj.

(Sayyiduna Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, said:) This is Bara’ bin Ma’rur, a prominent person of his people, and this is Ka'b bin Malik. (Sayyiduna Ka'b bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates:) By Allah! I have not forgotten this statement of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). He asked: The one who is a poet? They replied: Yes. Sayyiduna Bara’ bin Ma’rur (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O Messenger of Allah! I did something during my journey, and I want you (peace be upon him) to tell me something about it, as I am confused about it. I felt that I should not turn my back to this building and that I should face it while praying. My companions became upset with me and opposed me, until this thought came to my mind. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: You are upon one Qiblah; if you are patient upon it (that would be appropriate). The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) did not say anything further. The narrator says: Then we left from there and came to Mina. We completed our Hajj, and during the days of Tashreeq, we and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) agreed to meet at Aqabah. So, at night, we slipped away from our residences and went there, wanting to keep this matter hidden from the polytheists of our people, until we gathered at the pass. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) arrived, and with him was his uncle, Sayyiduna Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with him). The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) recited the Qur'an before us. We accepted his invitation, affirmed him, and believed in him. We were pleased with what he (peace be upon him) had stated. Then Sayyiduna Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with him) began to speak. He said: O group of Khazraj, you know what status Muhammad (peace be upon him) has among us. We have protected him from those who follow our (i.e., the people of Mecca's) religion, and Muhammad (peace be upon him) is safe among his family and his people. Then Sayyiduna Bara’ bin Ma’rur (may Allah be pleased with him) began to speak. He took the blessed hand of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and said: Take the pledge of allegiance from us. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: I take the pledge from you that you will protect me from that which you protect yourselves, your women, and your children (i.e., from the enemy). They said: Yes, by the One who has sent you with the truth, we are, by Allah, people of war, and this is something we have inherited.

(Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, says:) Sayyiduna Bara’ bin Ma’rur (may Allah be pleased with him) passed away a few months before the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) arrived in Madinah. He had made a will that his grave should be oriented towards the Ka'bah, so it was done accordingly. As for the matter that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) did not order him to repeat the prayers he had performed facing the Ka'bah, even though at that time it was obligatory for them to pray facing Bayt al-Maqdis, the reason is: Sayyiduna Bara’ (may Allah be pleased with him) accepted Islam when he met the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). That is why the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) did not instruct him to repeat those prayers.