he wished to perform the obligatory prayer, he would dismount and face the qiblah. (1) Another wording says: “He would pray on his mount toward the east, and when he wanted to perform the prescribed prayer he dismounted and faced the qiblah.” There are further reports to this effect, such as the ḥadīth of Anas. (2)
It is recommended to face the qiblah for the opening takbīr, for Anas narrated: “Whenever the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was travelling and wished to offer a supererogatory prayer, he would turn his camel toward the qiblah, pronounce the takbīr, and then pray wherever his mount was headed.” (3) If one does not do so, the prayer is still valid based on the sound ḥadīths, as preferred by our shaykh, Imām ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Bāz. (4)
Imām al-Nawawī stated: “Performing supererogatory prayers on one’s mount during a journey in which the prayers are shortened is permissible by the consensus of the Muslims…” (5)
As for a journey on which the prayers are not shortened, the correct view is that it is likewise permissible—