The Prophet ﷺ used to pray with a distance of about three cubits between himself and the qiblah.
كان النبي ﷺ يصلي وبينه وبين القبلة مقدار ثلاثة أذرع.
Ibn Hibban narrated it in his Sahih (3201) from the hadith of Abdul-Rahman bin Mahdi, from Malik bin Anas, from Nafi, from Ibn Umar, and he mentioned it.