From Wikipedia:
Qibla - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
According to the traditional Muslim view, the Qiblah originally faced the
Noble Sanctuary in
Jerusalem. This Qiblah was used for over 13 years, from 610 CE until 623 CE. Seventeen months after the
Islamic prophet Muhammad's
622 CE arrival in
Medina – the date is given as 11 February 624 – the Qiblah became oriented towards the
Kaaba in
Mecca.According to traditional accounts from Muhammad's
companions, the change happened very suddenly during the noon prayer in Medina, in a mosque now known as
Masjid al-Qiblatain (Mosque of the Two Qiblahs). Muhammad was leading the prayer when he received revelations from
God instructing him to take the Kaaba as the Qiblah (literally, "Turn then Thy face in the direction of the sacred Mosque:"). According to the traditional accounts contained in the
hadith and
sira, Muhammad, who had been facing Jerusalem, upon receiving this revelation, immediately turned around to face Mecca, and those praying behind him also did so.
Some have claimed that the
Qur'an does not identify or allude to Jerusalem as being the first Qiblah and that the practise of facing Jerusalem is only mentioned in
traditional biographies of Muhammad and
hadith collections. There is also disagreement as to when the practice started and for how long it lasted. Some sources say the Jerusalem Qiblah was used for a period of between sixteen to eighteen months. The Jewish custom of facing Jerusalem for prayer may have influenced the Muslim Qiblah. Others surmise that the use of Jerusalem as the direction of prayer was to either induce the Jews of Medina to convert to Islam or to "win over their hearts." When relations with the
Jews soured, Muhammad changed the Qiblah towards Mecca. Another reason given why the Qiblah was changed is that Jews viewed the use of Jerusalem as signalling the Muslims' intention of joining their religion. It was changed to discredit this assumption. Others state that it was changed because Muhammad was angered by that city or its people, and not because of his conflict with the Jews.
The Qiblah, for any point of reference on the
Earth, is the direction of the Kaaba. Some Muslims from
North America determine this direction using a
rhumb line, while most Muslims worldwide use a
great circle. In Muslim religious practice, supplicants must face this direction in prayer. Muslims do not worship the Kaaba or its contents; the Kaaba is simply a focal point for prayer.
Cheraman Juma Masjid is a mosque in the south
Indian state of
Kerala. Believed to be built in 7th century CE by
Malik Bin Deenar, it is thought to be the oldest mosque in India, and the second oldest mosque in the world to offer
Jumu'ah prayers. Constructed during the lifetime of Muhammad, the bodies of some of his original followers are said to be buried there. Unlike other mosques in Kerala state, which face westwards (towards the Qiblah), this mosque faces eastwards.
which did you mean? 
