Making the most of Solo-Travelling as a Muslim
In my last trips, I was never really alone. When I was in London as a PhD student, I had my colleagues and very close friends around me. It never felt like I was going far away, even though Berlin isn’t that close either. Also, when I travelled to Egypt, it was everything but solo. I was with my family, my wife, and her family. Even when I travelled to conferences in the US last year, or for field trips to Turkey, Greece or Austria, I would always travel with colleagues and friends or take the opportunity to travel and have my wife join me.
But now, as I am sitting on the plane to Kuala Lumpur, three hours before landing, it just hit me. This is actually the first time in my life that I am travelling somewhere alone. There is something frightening and at the same time deeply spiritual about travelling alone, and I think that sometimes it is difficult to feel it if you are surrounded by many travel companions.
It is no coincidence that prayers are being heard while travelling. The Prophet (ﷺ) is reported to have said: “Three supplications are answered without doubt. The supplication of the oppressed, the supplication of the traveller, and the supplication of the parent for his son.” [At- Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud]
When we carefully reflect on the three types of people whose prayers are not rejected, we can identify two commonalities. First, the oppressed, the parent, and the traveller all experience some form of hardship. The oppressor faces obvious hardships, particularly when they choose not to submit, comply, escape, or betray. The parent endures the hardships and sacrifices of parenting, providing for and caring for their children. The traveller takes on the challenges of leaving their home and loved ones, enduring long hours and distances of travel, and dealing with unexpected obstacles. The second commonality is that all three mentioned are connected to Allah. They raise their hands and communicate with Allah. This act of reaching out to their Creator brings a different perspective to their circumstances. The traveller who is connected to Allah travels differently and experiences travel differently. Thus, the hadith not only describes the status quo of travellers but also advises us to connect with Allah during our journeys, transforming travel into an act of worship.
Travelling alone provides an opportunity for a deeper connection with God, oneself, and the world around us. It allows for self-discovery, independence, and personal growth. Even feelings of loneliness or vulnerability in unfamiliar environments can become gateways for spiritual growth through reflection and contemplation. Recognizing this, it is important to develop an action plan to actively work on our relationship with God, ourselves and the world, especially when we travel.
Here are 5 pieces of advice derived from my personal experience of travelling alone:
- Prioritize a healthy sleep schedule
If you’re a Muslim travelling alone, there is no need to stay awake late into the night. Since you won’t be participating in the nightlife of your destination, you can end your day after Isha prayer. Take advantage of this opportunity, which we often don’t have back home due to family and community commitments. When I was in Southeast Asia for almost two months, I would go to bed around 8 pm and wake up around 3:30 am every day. The extra morning hours are truly precious. In Kuala Lumpur, for example, Fajr prayer would start around 5:49 am, giving me a good two hours to spend by myself.
2. This leads to the second piece of advice: Create your ideal morning routine!
You now have limited commitments in the early hours. Think about what an ideal start to your day would look like. Personally, my routine consisted of Quran reading, revising and memorizing, Hadith revising and memorizing, reading a book (often one that I had bought on my trip), and then going to the mosque to pray Fajr with the community. After the prayer (around 6:30 am), I would read the morning adhkar, have breakfast (around 7:00 am), and then prioritize my tasks for the day, starting with the most urgent and then moving on to the most important. At around 9:00 or 10:00 am (depending on how much I had accomplished in the morning), I would begin my activities for the day, which often involved visiting archives for research or exploring libraries and museums.
3. Practice mindful eating
When you’re not travelling with a group or family that dictates your meal schedule, you have the freedom to make your own decisions. For instance, travelling alone allows you to listen to your body’s needs more closely. If you’re not hungry or if the available food doesn’t appeal to you, don’t feel obligated to eat. Instead, ask yourself: what do I truly need and want to eat? Tune into your body and soul. Try to nourish them with what they genuinely require. In our disconnected world, many people ignore their true selves. Use this opportunity to reconnect and avoid silencing your soul by giving in to desires, whether it’s excessive consumption or other cravings. When I practised this during my travels across Asia, I felt that actually, I didn’t need to have three meals a day, and felt a strong desire to be more physically active. I felt that my new habits of early sleep, early rise, and a consistent morning routine, which had already deepened my connection to myself and God, seemed out of sync with a lifestyle marked by excessive consumption. This realization led me to make significant changes. I reduced my meals to one meal a day, I found myself walking a lot, instead of using Grab for every occasion. I actively sought opportunities to engage in physical activities like working out, swimming and hiking, instead of staying in the city all the time. These changes brought a refreshing new balance to my daily life.
4. Fill your day with enriching activities
Be genuinely interested in the place you are, and try to learn about its history and culture. Be humble, especially if you’re white, but also if you’re coloured like myself. There is a lot to learn from the people and the place you are. You will, however, not be able to learn if you don’t open up your heart for learning. Scholars say that a sign of hikma (wisdom) is the ability to perceive the signs of God in all things. A person endowed with hikma remains constantly open to inspiration, guidance, and learning. They believe that every experience, every moment, holds potential signs that can bring one closer to a deeper understanding of the divine. Embrace this mindset of continuous learning and openness, and you’ll find that your travels enrich not just your knowledge, but your soul too. The way I practised this was by visiting museums, cemeteries (yes, try to visit a cemetery in the country you visit), libraries, book-stores, intellectual and cultural events (sometimes organised in universities, libraries, book-stores), engaging with people, asking questions. As a historian, I do travel for research about the people and their history but try to get a grasp of what is important in their collective memory, what is characteristic in their culture, why they love their place, culture, food, etc. Fill your day with activities that will help you understand and learn, instead of consumption and typical tourist activities. You can, of course, do some typical tourist stuff — I did as well — but don’t make it the majority of your activities during your stay.
5. Last but not least: Engage in Writing or Reflection
Documenting your experiences through writing is an excellent way to reflect. While travelling, you’ll encounter a myriad of thoughts, insights, reflections, and analogies. These moments of clarity are precious and should be captured before they fade. By recording them, you create a tangible record that you can revisit, allowing you to re-experience those moments and solidify their impact. This practice is instrumental in deriving long-term benefits from the changes and growth experienced during your travels. What should you write about? Focus on your journey with God, your personal growth, and your interactions with the world around you. These reflections will serve as a valuable chronicle of your journey.
