pray on his mount, facing whichever direction it took him, and offer Witr on it, but he would not offer the obligatory prayers on it. A sick person may pray sitting if standing causes him hardship. If he cannot sit, he should pray lying on his side. Likewise, a man who cannot dismount to the ground should pray on his mount, as should someone who fears danger from his enemy if he dismounts. And Allah knows best.

Shaykh al-Islam was asked:

Is shortening the prayer while travelling a sunnah or a binding obligation? He was also asked about the authenticity of the hadith narrated by al-Shāfi‘ī from Ibrāhīm ibn Muhammad, from Talhah ibn ‘Amr, from ‘Atā’ ibn Abī Rabāh, from ‘Ā’ishah, who said:

“The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—did all of that: he shortened the prayer and offered it in full.”

He replied:

Shortening the prayer while travelling is the sunnah of the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and the sunnah of his Rightly Guided Caliphs. The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—only ever prayed two rak‘ahs while travelling. Abū Bakr and ‘Umar did likewise, as did ‘Uthmān during the year