Volume 1 • Issue 1

A MUSLIM'S GUIDE TO
TRAVELLING

INTRODUCTION
Written By Kazi Laaibah Wania

Travel. Everyone has travelled somewhere before, for various

purposes. Travelling serves as a reminder. The idea of being able
to be detached from this life and not allowing it to become
home is essential to all Muslims. Travelling reminds us that this
world is temporary. When travelling in a non-Muslim country,
either for voluntary work or educational purposes, one may have
to face a lot of hardships in order to perform his Islamic
practices. However, Islam is a religion full of ease and
compassion as every challenge we face have solutions and
alternatives. Allah says in the Qur'an, “Allah intends for you ease
and does not intend for you hardship” [Surah Al-Baqarah : 185],
and that, “On no soul does Allah place a burden greater than it
can bear” [Surah Al-Baqarah : 286]. Even if we feel
inconvenienced to take those extra steps to perform our Ibadah,
we must still do so as life on this Earth is a temporary test, and
like all other tests, obviously hard work, struggle and sacrifice
are required. The result of this is the eternal bliss of Paradise.
This is why the Prophet ( ‫ ) ﷺ‬said, “Paradise is surrounded by
hardships and the Hellfire is surrounded by desires” [Al-Bukhari,
Muslim]
 FINDING HALAL FOOD (1)
All food is Halal, except for those prohibited in the Qur’an and
Hadith. Allah only wants good for us and prohibits things that are
unnecessary or dispensable, while providing better alternatives.
"They ask thee what is lawful to them (as food). Say : whatever that
is good is lawful to you." [Surah Al-Maidah : 4]

We must do whatever we can to avoid consuming Haram food,

even in a non-Muslim country. Allah says in the Holy Qur'an : "He
has forbidden you only Al-Maytatah (meat of a dead animal),
blood, the flesh of swine, and any animal which is slaughtered as a
sacrifice for others than Allah (or has been slaughtered for idols
etc. or on which Allah's Name has not been mentioned while
slaughtering). But if one is forced by necessity, without willful
disobedience, and not transgressing, then, Allah is Oft-Forgiving,
Most Merciful." [Surah An-Nahl : 115]

If we are unsure of the food source and there is no indication of its

Halal status, we could confirm it with the chefs in the restaurants.
Some establishments might actually serve Halal food but may just
not be Halal-certified. We should also look out for Muslim staff
working in that restaurant, if there were no other Halal-certified
alternatives. One way to determine if the staff is truly a Muslim is
by greeting them with "Assalamualaikum (‫")اﻟﺴﻼم ﻋﻠﻴﻜﻢ‬. If they reply
to your salam, then it can be safe to assume that they are a fellow
Muslim and will not lie about their food. It is always safest to eat at
places with Halal signs.

It is common to find restaurants with a mix of Halal and Haram

food in Europe. They might claim to serve Halal meat but they
may also serve alcoholic drinks or pork. It is highly encouraged to
refrain from eating at such establishments. Travelling further to a
known Halal restaurant is safer, though tiring. Thus, it is crucial to
be well-prepared before travelling to a foreign country and Google
for Halal-certified food establishments
in advance.

Halal restaurants near me

Halal Symbols From Various Countries

FINDING HALAL FOOD (2)
In case Haram food was served at all the restaurants in a
certain area, you could opt for the vegetarian option. For
example, you could request for a salad without any
dressings or sauces since you do not know the
ingredients used. Besides doing so, you could eat the
Examples of Vegetarian Food
seafood found there. Do remember to make a request to
the chef not to put alcohol in your meal due to religious
reasons. Alternatively, you could fast and eat as little as
possible if you really wanted to be cautious and/or Halal
food was scarce. No matter what, we must not eat
anything that we are doubtful of as that would eventually
lead to Haram.
From Nu’man bin Basyir, he said that I heard Rasulullah (‫)ﷺ‬
said: “The halal is clear and the haram is clear, and between
Kosher Symbols
them are matters unclear that are unknown to most people.
Whoever is cautious and abstains from these unclear matters,
he has purified his religion and honour. And whoever indulges

≠ Halal
in shubuhat, he has indulged in the haram.” [Narrated by
Bukhari and Muslim]. No Pork No Lard
In case there were some Jews there, you could ask them
about the food and whether it complies with their strict
Kosher diet, especially for meat. There could even be Kosher

‫ﺣﻼل‬
symbols, which are common in the United States. “On this
day, all pure things are made lawful for you (as food). The food
of the People of the Book is made lawful for you and your food
is made lawful for them." [Surah Al-Maidah : 5]

Even if there was a symbol stating `No Pork, No Lard`, you

should not blindly consume the food as containing no pork
does not necessarily mean the food is Halal. The permissibility

‫ﺣﺮام‬
of the food is determined by the nature of the meat, the way it
is slaughtered and the way it is treated before and after
slaughtering it. The slogan does not state that alcohol is not
used so you should avoid it at all costs. If you wanted to, you
could also eat the seafood found there, as long as there aren’t
any Haram ingredients like alcohol, pork and its derivatives,
etc.

Hence, asking the chefs about the ingredients is crucial before

consuming any of the food. Furthermore, we could buy food
from Halal shops nearby (if there were any) and bring them
back to the village. It is better to travel further to get Halal
food than to eat what we are doubtful of.
"O people! Eat of what is lawful and good on earth, and do not
follow the footsteps of Satan. He is to you an open enemy."
[Surah Al-Baqarah : 168]
PERFORMING THOHARAH
Cleanliness is a big part of Iman. The Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬practised cleanliness of self and
surrounding to such a great extent and even said : “Cleanliness is half of faith”
[Sahih Muslim 223] Allah loves those who are clean and tidy. Attaining his love is
the aim of any true believer. He even mentions that, "Truly, Allah loves those who
turn to him constantly in repentance and he loves those who keep themselves
pure and clean." [Surah Al-Baqarah : 222]

If insufficient or no water is available, there are various alternatives which we can

use to perform Thoharah. Prophet Muhammad (‫ )ﷺ‬took ablution using one "Mudd"
of water which is equivalent to 544 mℓ of water [Bukhari Muslim] This shows that it
is still possible for us to take ablution with little water. However, if you are travelling
to a village, where there is a lack of clean water, performing wudu' with clean water
may not be possible. Therefore, you should do Tayammum instead. Tayammum is
usually done using clean earth, dust, sand, stone, baked earthen pots, limestone,
clay or any item with a thick covering of dust, which can be found easily and in
abundance. “...and if you find no water, then perform Tayammum with clean earth
and rub therewith your hands and face” [Surah Al-Maidah : 6]

Besides doing so, he could also choose to only do the compulsory steps in ablution
so that more water can be conserved for drinking. For doing Istinja’, you could use
a clean stone (not too rough nor too smooth), handkerchief or tissue paper, if you
are facing a lack of clean water. If there really was a very restricted amount of
water, you could even skip your bath and use the water to take ablution instead.
“When anyone wipes himself with pebbles (after answering the call of nature) he
should do this an odd number of times.” [Sahih Muslim 239]

We could use miswak to brush his teeth as oral hygiene is also important and
keeps ourselves healthy and presentable. Doing all of this is important we must be
particularly clean and nicely dressed before we stand before Allah for our prayers.
Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq said: The Messenger of Allah (‫ )ﷺ‬said: "The siwak is purifying
for the mouth and pleasing to the Lord.”

One should mention the name of Allah by

The intention to make Tayammum Both hands should be struck on good earth
saying "Bismillah".

The face should be wiped out once with Both hands should be shaken off to blow If there is a lack of clean water, perform
both hands. away the dust from them Tayammum with stones, clean earth, clay, etc
PRAYERS
The 5 daily prayers are obligatory acts for every Muslim. Salat is one of the 5
pillars of Islam. If prayers are not accepted, other acts of worship are also not
accepted. Offering prayers five times a day purifies us of sins in the same
manner as bathing five times during the day, which makes our body clean of
all filth and dirt. One should offer prayers punctually and never miss them on
purpose. Due to a traveller's hectic schedule, one would be unable to perform
some of the prayers on time. It is a big sin to skip a prayer, and thus, a
traveller is given Rukhsah to shorten the 4 Raka'at prayers to 2 Raka'at
(Jama') or combine his missed prayers (Qasa. Combining and shortening
prayers are defined by the terms; Jama and Qasar respectively. A You should
note that these can only be done if you have a valid reason to do so. It is
better to pray when given the time then to purposely not pray and combine
prayers.
The conditions to be in fulfilled in performing Jama and Qasr prayers are :

1. The travel distance should not be lesser than 2 Marhalah, which is around
89 km

2. The Jama of the first and the second prayers must be performed in orderly
and without intervals, such that the second prayer must be performed
immediately after the first prayer

3. If the Jama prayer is intended to be performed in the timing of the second

prayer, the intention to perform the Jama must be made in the timing of the
first prayer.

For example, if the Jama of Zuhr and Asr prayers is to be performed in the
timing of the Asr prayer, the intention must be made in the timing of the
Zuhr prayer, before the call of the Asr prayer.

If need be, a male traveller may also shorten and combine his Asr prayer with
the Friday prayer which must be done during Friday Prayer.
Mu'adh reported:
“We set out with the Messenger of Allah (‫ )ﷺ‬on the Tabuk expedition, and he
observed the noon and afternoon prayers together and the sunset and 'Isha'
prayers together.” [Sahih Muslim 706a]

Narrated `Ikrima:
Ibn `Abbas said, "We stayed for 19 days with the Prophet on a journey during
which we used to offer shortened prayers." Ibn Abbas added, "We offer the
Qasr prayer (i.e. shortened prayer) If we stay up to 19 days as travelers, But if
we stay longer, we offer complete prayers.” [Sahih Al-Bukhari 4299]
RELIGION
As a Muslim traveller, we need to uphold the values of Islam even in a non-Muslim
country. Since we are foreigners in their country, we should abide by their laws and
respect their customs and traditions. Allah forbids us from insulting others' religions
and beliefs. Islam comes from the 3 root letters ‫ﺳﻠﻢ‬, which means peace. Thus, we have
to promote peace and harmony through our speech and actions. There are also a lot of
apps available for Muslims which show nearby Halal restaurants, contain an online
Qur'an, show the Qiblah and prayer times.

REFERENCES
The Holy Qur'an [2 :168, 2:185, 2:286, 2:222, 5:4, 5:5, 56, 16:115]

Hadith (https://sunnah.com/)

Parents

Asatizah Sahih Muslim and Sahih Bukhari

https://www.wikihow.com/Perform-Tayammum

https://www.havehalalwilltravel.com/how-to-determine-the-
halal-status-of-food-while-you-travel

https://www.havehalalwilltravel.com/why-you-should-travel-
islam

https://www.iium.edu.my/deed/hadith/muslim/002_smt.html

https://www.muis.gov.sg/-/media/Files/OOM/Resources/CIS_280
818_4.PDF
The Holy Qur'an

Enjoy your travels!