We went out to the open land near the town and prayed 'Isha' facing south, with the qiblah to the west, due to our ignorance.

The questioner : We went out to the open land near the town and prayed 'Isha' facing south, with the qiblah to the west, due to our ignorance. In the following week, we prayed in the same direction, and one of the brothers, may Allah reward him with good, alerted us to the error, so we turned toward the qiblah. What is the ruling on the first and second prayers?

The Shaykh : If you were exerting effort in seeking the qiblah, you were being careful, and you had knowledge of the evidence for the qiblah, then there is no blame on you, and your first and second prayers are valid. However, if that was not the case, and you prayed this way merely on a whim, then you must repeat the first and second prayers.
This is because if a man exerts effort in determining the qiblah and is careful, and then it becomes clear that he made a mistake, he owes nothing. This is based on the saying of Allah the Exalted: and His saying: and His saying: and the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): These people did what they were able to do; they sought the qiblah and fulfilled what was required of them in terms of exerting effort. It became clear that they were wrong, so they owe nothing.