Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ نُمَيْرٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ عَنْ نَافِعٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ إِذَا خَرَجَ يَوْمَ الْعِيدِ يَأْمُرُ بِالْحَرْبَةِ فَتُوضَعُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ فَيُصَلِّي إِلَيْهَا وَالنَّاسُ وَرَاءَهُ وَكَانَ يَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ فِي السَّفَرِ فَمِنْ ثَمَّ اتَّخَذَهَا الْأُمَرَاءُ.
English Translation
Ibn Numayr told us, who said: Ubaydullah told us, from Nafi', from Ibn Umar: that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, when he went out on the day of the festival, would order the spear to be brought and placed before him, and he would pray facing it, with the people behind him; and he used to do that while traveling as well - so from then the commanders adopted the practice.