Dear Brothers and Sisters!

There is no doubt that traveling has many benefits. Traveling to different parts of the world and meeting new people and cultures broadens our horizons. New experiences develop our minds. Taking a vacation after working all year can help us to rest and regain strength. Visiting our relatives who live far away and performing the worship of strengthening our ties and bringing us closer to Allah (swt). We can also witness the verses of Allah (swt) by traveling around the world. Because, apart from the verses of the Qur’an, our Allah (swt) also created the verses describing the universe. In one verse, our Allah (swt) states the following: “We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth. But is it not sufficient concerning your Lord that He is, over all things, a Witness?”[1]

And in another verse Allah (swt) says: “Then do they not look at the camels – how they are created? And at the sky – how it is raised? And at the mountains – how they are erected? And at the earth – how it is spread out?”[2] Therefore, for a thoughtful believer, the verses of the Qur’an are a source of belief, and the universe is also a source of belief.

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Most of us are on vacation because we are in the summer period. While some of us are back at our homelands, some of us are traveling to a country they do not know, perhaps for the first time. In any case, we should take holidays like a Muslim. This begins with the intention and the organisation of the journey.
“Can I fulfill my religious obligations there?”, “Will I have the opportunity to eat halal?” and “Can I avoid haram?” We have to adhere to these questions. It is a requirement of our Deen to stay away from environments that will harm our heart. For example, environments where modesty is not respected which will cause adultery through the eyes. Environments that promote excessive and wasteful consumption will also weaken our spirituality.

While we can take a vacation from school, university and work, there is no vacation from the religion of Islam, which covers every aspect of our lives. The Prophet ﷺ said in a hadith: “Have Taqwa (fear) of Allah wherever you may be, and follow up a bad deed with a good deed which will wipe it out, and behave well towards the people.”[3]

Dear Jama’ah!

Undoubtedly, travels remind us of the truth of the worldly life. For, as travels are completed in a temporary process to reach a place, the life of this world consists of a journey that leads to the hereafter, which is eternal. Journeys cannot be counted as our main goal, and the worldly life cannot be counted as our real life.

Umar (r.a.) quotes an advice he received from the Prophet ﷺ as follows: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ grabbed my shoulder and said: “Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler!” Umar (r.a.) used to say: “If you survive till the evening, do not expect to be alive in the morning, and if you survive till the morning, do not expect to be alive in the evening, and take from your health for your sickness, and (take) from your life for your death!”[4]

May Allah (swt) grant us to do deeds that are pleasing to us at all times, regardless of time and place, and to prepare us for the journey to the hereafter as we prepare for the journeys in this world. Ameen.

[1] Surah Fussilat, 41:53
[2] Surah Al-Ghashiyah, 88: 17-20
[3] Tirmizî, Bir, 55, H.No: 1987
[4] Buhârî, Rıkâk, 3

Khutba-Travel Like a Muslim