He replied:

No scholar considers this to be Sunnah. Rather, the Sunnah is to say it while facing the qiblah, just like the other phrases of the adhān and the words, “The prayer has begun,” in the iqāmah. The only exception the scholars make is for “Come to prayer” and “Come to success”: when saying these, he turns to the right and left. He should not reserve these two phrases for facing east. No category of phrases in either the adhān or the iqāmah is specifically assigned to facing east or west.

Anyone who says both repetitions of “Prayer is better than sleep” while facing east or west is introducing an innovation and departing from the Sunnah of the adhān, by scholarly agreement.

The scholars have differed over whether the caller should turn around in the minaret, with two well-known views on the matter. Whoever does so has acted within an area open to scholarly judgment. Even so, if he turns around when saying, “Prayer is better than sleep,” he would have to turn around twice, and no scholar advocates this. If he singles out the east for both repetitions, he departs even further from the Sunnah. Thus, he must say both while facing the qiblah. And Allah knows best.

The Shaykh—may Allah have mercy on him—said:

When I travelled by the postal relay, we used to combine the two prayers. At first, I would give the adhān at sunset while riding. Then I reflected and found that when the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, combined the prayers on the night at Jamʿ (Muzdalifah), they did not give the adhān for Maghrib on their way; rather, he delayed the adhān