The Mirror of the Excellences of Islam — Page 617
616 Ā'ĪNA-E-KAMĀLĀT-E-ISLĀM―DĀFI‘UL-WASĀWIS Sometimes travel is undertaken to visit the sick or attend a funeral. Sometimes, a sick person, or someone caring for him, travels for seek- ing treatment. Travel is also undertaken sometimes to attend a court hearing or for commerce etc. All these forms of travel are permissible according to the Noble Quran and the Hadith of the Holy Prophet. Indeed, there is great emphasis and encouragement in authentic aḥā- dith for travelling to meet the righteous, to meet brethren, and to seek knowledge. If I were to write all these aḥādīth here, it would form a book in itself. Those who issue such fatwas and who have them issued do not realize that they themselves are often faced with the need to undertake such travel. Therefore, if it is forbidden to travel anywhere except to the three Mosques [in Makkah, Madinah, and Jerusalem], then these people should give up all their relationships and relatives and sit idle and never undertake a journey to meet them, sympathize with them, or express their commiserations or care for their welfare. I do not think that anyone besides those totally blinded by prejudice and ignorance would hesitate to confirm the permissibility of all such travel. Open page 16 of Ṣaḥiḥ al-Bukhārī and see how much has been said by way of glad tidings for travelling to seek knowledge. It is said there that: ú Meaning that the person who travels طَرِيقًا يَطْلُبُ بِهِ عِلْمًا سَهَّلَ اللَّهُ لَهُ طَرِيقَ الْجَنَّةِ to seek knowledge and treads a certain path, Allah will make the path to Paradise easy for him. O unjust maulawi, now exercise some fairness. You condemned a brother who subscribes to the Kalimah like you, faces the Qiblah, and believes in Allah and His Messenger. You declared him to be totally deprived of the mercy of God Almighty and the intercession of the Messenger of Allah, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. You also paid no attention to this authentic hadith in Bukhārī, which -The wor] أَسْعَدُ النَّاسِ بِشَفَاعَتِي يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مَنْ قَالَ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ خَالِصًا مِنْ قَلْبِهِ أَوْ نَفْسِهِ ۚ :says 1. Şahih al-Bukhārī, Kitābul-Ilm, Bābul-'Ilm Qablul-Qaul wal-'Amal [Publisher] 2. Sahih al-Bukhārī, Kitābul-'Ilm, Bābul-Ḥirs ‘alāul-Hadith, Hadith 99 [Publisher]