Assalamu Alaikum,
Okay, You are here because you wanted to know what is halal travel and what it means, and what is the term “halal travel” used for. Well, don’t worry because I’ve got you covered. In this detailed article first article of The Muslim Traveler blog, we are going to explain everything about halal travel, you will get to know everything from different meanings of halal travel to different activities of halal tourism, and we are going to cover them all. And we will understand why & how halal travel is becoming the choice of Muslim millennials in the age of advancement and digitalization.
Muslim travel, halal tourism, halal travel, Muslim-friendly travel, These terms are very popular when it comes to Muslim travelers and their travel experiences across the globe. But there is a difference between Muslim-friendly travel and halal travel as Muslim travel experts have mentioned. But in more simple words “travel that is permitted in Islam” is halal travel.
Firstly, we shouldn’t ignore the fact that Islam doesn’t recommend traveling without a purpose or without a fair reason. But on the other hand, Islam encourages people to travel everywhere to learn more about this world and its truths and the history of mankind. And that’s why it is so important to talk about both aspects. And when It comes to travel, Islamic ruling on travel for leisure and holidays is pretty strict for travelers. You will find it if you gather some authentic information about it from the holy Quran and the books of ahadith, and the fatwah of scholars.
And as the travel industry started growing in the 90s and has grown day by day, the definition of halal travel has changed. Anything that is made for Muslims and targetted Muslims doesn’t necessarily mean halal in travel space, there’s a lot more that needs to be checked and covered in-depth. and these are the two things that we should know about halal tourism.
Halal Travel Among Travelers & Explorers
This is how I personally describe halal travel for Muslim travelers
“Traveling and exploring in a way that you don’t experience anything that isn’t permitted in Islam, it might be anything from alcohol to nightlife and nudity and everything in between”. that is called halal travel.
Although traveling for purposes like Hajj & Umrah, business travel, And traveling for leisure and vacations are different. But one thing is clear that the places you visit need to be clean from vulgarity and all other things that aren’t permitted in Islam.
In these subcategories of travels, the traveler must practice the ethics of Islam like praying five times a day, having halal-friendly meals, and also practice all other things that a Muslim must practice and do, and they also need to avoid things that are haram and prohibited.
And the term used as ‘Muslim-friendly travel’ is a completely different term. I consider it (Muslim-friendly travel ) as places and experiences that are not actually Muslim-friendly by origins but later turned into Muslim-friendly travel destinations or an experience’ is Muslim-friendly travel. Check out this post on The Difference Between Halal Travel and Muslim Friendly Travel.
Halal Travel Among Businesses & Tour Operators
Okay, It will be a fair comparison if we describe the term halal travel that is used in the business world. In businesses “Providing the services to Muslim travelers in a pure halal way, offering halal environment, and Muslim-friendly facilities in public places such as subways, airports, stations, parks, and other places is called halal tourism and travel. It also includes other important things such as clean and private experiences, halal foods, hotels with Muslim-friendly staff and prayer facilities, and other things.
And according to business experts, the Halal tourism industry is rising and getting boosts since the beginning of this century. The last time in 2015 it was an estimated 117 million Muslim travelers were recorded and now it is expected that the number of Muslim travelers is nearly 200 million worldwide.
And in business halal tourism is described as “A Subcategory of travel that includes the ethics of the religion Islam and has some particular activities and things that are related to faith and religion. And in halal travel, the hotels in such destinations do not serve alcohol and have separate swimming pools and spa facilities for men and women.
Conclusion
Halal travel may mean so many things, But in modern words, It is a subcategory of travel and leisure where Muslim travelers perform some religious activities on a daily basis and avoid some of the common things that are well known in travel leisure. Hajj & Umrah also drops into this category but it is also a completely different form of travel for a different purpose.
This post was a very simple and basic introduction to halal tourism and Muslim travel. and there is a lot more to cover in order to describe travel in Islam and we will be covering more related topics. It is kind of impossible to do with a single post. But to know more about Travel & Leisure in Islam Check out this detailed post. To know what’s halal and what’s haram in travel check out this one right here.
We hope this article was helpful, comment your suggestions and questions below, and follow us on our social channels to get more information about travel in Islam.
