If a traveler is in a bus and does not know the direction of the qiblah, should he pray in it wherever it faces?

The questioner : Well, I am traveling in a bus, so determining the qiblah is naturally difficult; in fact, no one knows the direction of the qiblah. So I pray while sitting on the seat, facing this way and that way on winding roads?

The Shaykh : If you know that the vehicle you are riding in does not have stages where it and its passengers rest at a station, but rather it travels continuously in one stretch from one country to another such that a time for prayer passes you by, then in that case you pray in the vehicle as you pray in an airplane. However, you must strive to determine the qiblah. There are, of course, signs and indicators that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has placed on earth, which allow one who is concerned and interested to know the direction he must face in prayer. So if you strive, you should wait and not begin the prayer until the vehicle faces the direction of the qiblah. There you say the takbir, and it does not harm you if the vehicle then turns to the right or to the left.