Sahih Muslim 1620
صحيح مسلم#1620Sahihوَحَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ حَاتِمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَفَّانُ بْنُ مُسْلِمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا هَمَّامٌ، حَدَّثَنَا أَنَسُ بْنُ سِيرِينَ، قَالَ تَلَقَّيْنَا أَنَسَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ حِينَ قَدِمَ الشَّامَ فَتَلَقَّيْنَاهُ بِعَيْنِ التَّمْرِ فَرَأَيْتُهُ يُصَلِّي عَلَى حِمَارٍ وَوَجْهُهُ ذَلِكَ الْجَانِبَ - وَأَوْمَأَ هَمَّامٌ عَنْ يَسَارِ الْقِبْلَةِ - فَقُلْتُ لَهُ رَأَيْتُكَ تُصَلِّي لِغَيْرِ الْقِبْلَةِ . قَالَ لَوْلاَ أَنِّي رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَفْعَلُهُ لَمْ أَفْعَلْهُ .
Anas b. Sirin reported:We met Anas b. Malik as he came to Syria at a place known as 'Ain-al-Tamar and saw him observing prayer on the back of his donkey with his face turned in that direction. (Hammam one of the narrators) pointed towards the left of Qibla, so I said to him: I find you observing prayer towards the side other than that of Qibla. Upon this he said: Had I not seen the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) doing like this, I would not have done so at all
Scholarly Authentication
The label above is the grade most of these scholars gave — one dissenting opinion no longer speaks for all of them. If any scholar calls a narration fabricated, that verdict is shown instead, whatever the others say. Each scholar's own wording:
Every narration in Sahih Muslim is accepted as Sahih (authentic) by the established status of the book.
In-book reference: 6:51