Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem
By Hadhrat Moulana Abdul Hamid Is’haq Saheb
(Daamat Barakaatuhu)
Holidays have become such a trend, and traveling abroad is so in vogue that it has become a game of rivalry and competition in our society.
While the Qur’aan Sharief encourages travel, it is for productive and specific purposes: to observe and understand Allah Ta’ala’s creation and take lessons from the consequences of past nations. In Surah An-Nahl, Allah Ta’ala states:
“So travel throughout the land and see the fate of the deniers!”
In Surah Al-Ankabut:
“Say: ‘Travel in the land and see how (Allah Ta’ala) originated creation, and then Allah will bring forth (resurrect) the creation of the Hereafter (i.e. resurrection after death). Verily, Allah is Able to do all things.’”
[Surah Al-Ankabut 29: 20]
In Islam, there is also a place for certain forms of recreation. As an example, Rasulullah Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam liked to walk about in gardens, enjoying their tranquility. However, the concept of “holidaying” – as we know it to be - will not be found in the Sunnah – where travel is for pleasure, shopping, sight-seeing, honeymoon, sporting tournaments, etc. We do not find any incidents of the Sahabah (Radhiyallahu ‘anhum) going on such vacations. Their travel was for Dien: hijrah, jihad, da’wah, seeking ilm, etc. They understood that their time in this world is very short and this precious time is for preparation for their journey to aakhirah and building up their aakhirah.
As Muslims, there are perspectives to consider when it comes to the kind of holidays we opt for. …For those who prioritise Allah Ta’ala’s Pleasure, this nasihah (advice) will be appreciated Insha-Allah; otherwise, most of us prioritise pleasing our nafs and just fulfilling our own desires.
1. When a Muslim family goes on such holidays, then most of the time, they stay at a resort where there is no Masjid in its vicinity. Willingly, the men in the family are paying money to stay away from the Masjid.
If we have to consider, this is a great sacrifice of our Salaah in Jamaat, in the Masjid – the House of Allah Ta’ala. What a sacrifice when considering the Ahadith that mention the great virtues, merits and rewards of Salaah in jamaat, walking to the Masjid, the duas of the angels, standing in the first saff, the blessings sent down by Allah Ta’ala and His angels, etc. All of this is sacrificed.
One is that a person is on safr due to necessity: he is travelling for the sake of Dien, business or to see family. During that travel, due to circumstance, he is on the plane, train, etc. or he has to spend a night in a hotel or roadhouse and there is no Masjid in the area, the person reads Salaah on his own. This is circumstance. This is different from voluntarily going on a holiday for pleasure. For that time holidaying, the person sacrifices the Masjid as well as all those great, magnificent rewards. At times, the person does not see the Masjid door for a week or two weeks or even longer.
2. When we consider the holiday resorts and hotels around the world, most are places where there is much nudity. That is the order of the day.
On the other hand, the Masjid is a place of purity, of Ibaadah and only good. It is filled with noor. From this perspective, the person willingly sacrifices the pure, blessed environment of the Masjid for a place of sin. The person, on his own accord, exchanges the Masjid environment of Salaah, tilawat, dua, Zikrullah, the environment where the angels are present, for the environment of shamelessness and nudity, where the shayateen throng.
It is a known fact that people use resorts and hotels as places to engage in adultery and now even worse, lesbianism and homosexuality – making them places of great spiritual darkness. Many Muslims now go on cruises – and of course, there, on the cruise ships, there is just Haraam entertainment – casinos, dancing, wining and dining, etc. …We are unconcerned that these are places of great spiritual impurity that will have a negative effect on us and harm our Imaan. We do not even think of death – that death can visit us at any time.
In those hotels, chalets, suites, etc. the linen may be pure white and look very clean; the glassware and utensils may be sparkling clean; however, by using those items, there is an effect that falls on us. ...The mas’ala is that it is permissible to use – 100% you can use these items, but the effect of the zina, of the wine, pork and other haraam will undoubtedly affect us spiritually.
3. In a time, where the Ummah is going through great hardship and difficulty and there is a dire need for funds to assist those who have lost their homes, families, limbs, and they are very desperately in need of food, shelter and medical assistance, it just does not behove a Muslim to waste his money on pleasure trips and holidays – which are a great expense when taking into account travel fares, holiday accommodation, etc. Hundreds of thousands, if not more are spent, whereas that could have benefitted so many of our brothers and sisters who are suffering. May Allah Ta’ala grant us the qualities of compassion, empathy, sympathy and concern and the taufeeq to spend in assisting and uplifting our Muslim brothers and sisters.
The Hadith mentions: “The parable of the Believers in their affection, mercy and compassion for each other is that of a body. When any limb aches, the whole body reacts with sleeplessness and fever.” – Sahih Muslim
4. There is another perspective; this relates to our own physical comfort:
Alhamdulillah, here in South Africa, many of us have good homes. We spend so much on having all amenities and facilities for our ease, comfort and enjoyment. Many have beautiful gardens, swimming pools, jungle gyms, air-conditioning, kitchens with the best appliances, etc. After we design our “dream home” - which we should thereafter make use of, we voluntarily choose to leave all these comforts to go holidaying or camping – sometimes choosing to live in a small tent, cooking over a fire, not having access to electricity, air-conditioning, etc. …Often, the house-helper or gardener is left to house-sit for us. This then becomes a wonderful holiday for them, with so many luxuries at their disposal.
Many people who have lived in poverty cannot understand how and why a person will sacrifice convenience for inconvenience. Theirs was or is a real circumstance of constraint. Thus, they consider this exchange of comfort for discomfort to be foolish. Often, all the camping equipment is another great expense.
THE EFFECT OF OUR ENVIRONMENT
From the teachings of the Qur’aan Sharief and Sunnah, we learn that what we see, hear and speak, what we eat, who we mix with and where we go have an undeniable effect on our spiritual hearts. Therefore, we are advised to be very cautious and avoid places of sins as well as bad company. We are instructed not to go near sins to avoid falling into sins.
There are many examples of the experiences of the Auliya Allah, who with their purified hearts were able to sense the effect of their environment. For our benefit and understanding, we will share a few:
During the era of Hadhrat Moulana Muhammad Ilyas Sahib (Rahmatullahi ‘alayh), India was one of the backward countries in the world. In India, Mewat was the most backward; deeni-wise and dunya-wise. At that time, in Mewat, there were no dunya’s attractions, no restaurants and no take-aways (like how we have). Despite that, when Hadhrat Moulana Muhammad Ilyas Sahib (Rahmatullahi ‘alayh) would return from his dieni khidmat, working among the people in Mewat, he would feel the influence of dunya and the effects of mixing with people on his heart. He then went to the khanqah of Raipur, Gangoh or Saharanpur or his own Masjid for I’tikaaf. That I’tikaaf was an opportunity to purify his heart again.
In recent times, one wali of Allah Ta’ala was invited to a Muslim home. On entering the home, he said: “I can sense the darkness of adultery from the walls of the home.” …Those family members were not committing adultery. However, they were watching television programmes and films which had such immoral, shameless content. If the darkness of adultery was perceived in the walls of the home – made of brick and concrete, what effect would fall on the hearts?
On the other hand, the Masjid and other places of Ibaadah have a positive effect on the heart. As an example: if it is a very hot day and we enter a Masjid which has air-conditioning, we will experience the coolness just on taking our first step inside. If it is an extremely cold day and the Masjid has heating facilities, we feel the warmth as soon as we enter. Similarly, when we go to the Haramain Shareefain, Masaajid, Madaaris, Khanqahs, Tablighi maraakiz, etc. we should perceive the Noorani environment and feel the difference on a spiritual level.
From Aadam (Alaihis Salaam) until Rasulullah Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam, every Nabi of Allah Ta’ala performed Hajj. All their barakaat are present there. With our first step into the Haram Sharief, we will take in all that fuyoodh – spiritual blessings and benefits. If we open our hearts, we will perceive these spiritual bounties. If we keep our hearts closed, we will not take the benefit.
In contrast, when we go to the shopping centres, markets, airports, hotels, etc. our Imaani senses should experience the darkness and the negative effects of the environment. If we are not experiencing the difference in our environments, our dieni, imaani senses are spiritually weak or worse, dead. We need to work on and nurture our Imaani senses through Tilawat of the Qur’aan Sharief, Zikrullah, muraqabah-e-maut, Suhbat of the sawliheen, etc. For us to progress spiritually and build up the heart’s awareness and Imaani senses, we require the guidance, direction and spiritual treatment of a Shaykh-e-Kaamil.
Hadhrat Moulana Siddiq Ahmed Bhandwi (Rahmatullahi ‘alayh) had also explained: “From time to time, we have to go to the shops, airports and other places - for our worldly needs. At such times, we must close the shutters of our hearts.” Hadhat (RA) further captured this point in poetry form:
“O Ahmed, protect the very sacred place of your heart.
No one else must come into the heart nor come near the heart.
The heart is exclusive for Allah Ta’ala.”
It is necessary that we protect our hearts at all times. We should not be influenced or distracted by the worldly attractions. Though we may be in the midst of dunya’s activities and happenings, the heart must be with Allah Ta’ala. Keep the heart’s attention on Allah Ta’ala. It is said in Urdu; the translation of which is:
“While occupied in the world, he is still with Allah.
And in spite of being with everyone,
he is still away from everyone.”
Even if we take all precautions and make dua for our protection while going about our worldly work or traveling due to necessity, when we return, the minimum we should do is to engage in taubah and Istighfaar since those negative influences fall on the heart and darken the heart.
May Allah Ta’ala guide us to the
correct understanding and to living our lives as true Muslims, and give us the
taufeeq of shunning the ways of the kuffaar. Aameen.
