upon misguidance and folly—this can never be, for the Christians are astray, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stated. True, the religion of Jesus (peace be upon him) was a religion of truth, but it was the truth for its own time until it was abrogated by the message of Prophet Muḥammad (peace and blessings be upon him); guidance and truth now reside in what the Messenger brought.
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The second condition is that he must possess enough religious commitment to shield him from sensual desires, for one repels doubts through faith. A person without such commitment, if he travels to the lands of unbelief, will plunge into them, finding the bloom of worldly life there—intoxicants, fornication, sodomy—every form of crime exists in those lands. Should he go, he is liable to slip into that mire unless his religion protects him. Therefore, a traveler must have faith strong enough to guard him against temptations.
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The third condition is that he have a genuine need: he may be ill and require medical treatment available only in non-Muslim countries; he may need a specialized branch of knowledge not found in Muslim lands, so he travels, studies, and returns; or he may need to engage in trade, going abroad for business and then coming back. The essential point is that there must be a real necessity. For this reason, I hold that those who travel to the lands of unbelief merely for tourism are sinful, and that every penny they spend on such trips is