Facing the Kabah During the Islamic Prayer

There are some formal Islamic prayer (salat) that are obligatory while come are voluntary. Either one can be prayerd dismounted or mounted on an travelling animal or vehicle. There is more flexibility in terms of the injunction to face the Kabah (in Makkah) during the voluntary prayer while travelling as we see from the practice of the Prophet (SWAS).

When the Prophet (SWAS) prayed dismounted he always faced the Kabah (after the command to do so was revealed), whether he was praying the obligatory or voluntary prayers. He is known to have ordered his companions to improve their prayer by instructing "When you stand for prayer, perform abolution perfectly, then face the Qiblah (the Kabah in Makkah) and say Takbir (Allahu Akbar -- the proclaimation that God is the Greatest).

During the journey, he would pray voluntary prayers and the witr (last prayer of the day which is characterized by having odd number of prayer units) prayer on his mount wherever it faced carrying him. Sometimes when starting the voluntary prayer while mounted, he made his mount face the direction of the Kabah in Makkah (Qiblah), and proclaimed the greatest of God (said Allahu Akbar), and prayed towards wherever his mount turned. While travelling, when he needed to pray the obligatory prayer, he would dismount and pray the complete prayer in the diretion of the Kabah in Makkah (Qiblah). 

In exceptional circumstances of fighting during battles, he (SWAS) allowed his companions to pray mounted or dismounted whether in the diretion of the Kabah (Qiblah) or not, with prayer movements being indicated by the movement of the head. There are accounts when the companions prayed in directions other than the Qiblah due to the fact that they could not determine the direction of the Kabah, and when they verified with the Prophet (SWAS), he reportedly said "Your prayer is sufficient".

Before the injunction to pray in the direction of the Kabah was reveleaved to him in Makkah, the Prophet (SWAS) used to pray in the direction of Juressalem (the first Qiblah in Islam) with the Kabah in front of him. 

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