حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ قَالَ صَحِبْتُ ابْنَ عُمَرَ مِنْ الْمَدِينَةِ إِلَى مَكَّةَ فَجَعَلَ يُصَلِّي عَلَى رَاحِلَتِهِ نَاحِيَةَ مَكَّةَ فَقُلْتُ لِسَالِمٍ لَوْ كَانَ وَجْهُهُ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ كَيْفَ كَانَ يُصَلِّي قَالَ سَلْهُ فَسَأَلْتُهُ فَقَالَ نَعَمْ وَهَاهُنَا وَهَاهُنَا وَقَالَ لِأَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ صَنَعَهُ
مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 5047
It was narrated that 'Abd ar ‘Rahmaan ibn Sa'd said: I Accompanied Ibn 'Umar from Madinah to Makkah, and he started praying atop his mount, facing towards Makkah. I said to Saalim; If he was heading towards Madinah, how would he pray? He said: Ask him. So I asked him and he said: Yes, this direction and that direction. And he said: Because the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) used to do it this way.
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020