Tourism from an Islamic Perspective: A Fiqh-Based Analysis

Tourism is a social, cultural, and economic phenomenon involving the movement of people beyond their usual environment. Within Islamic discourse, travel is evaluated not merely in terms of halal products or Muslim-friendly facilities, but through the interrelationship between intention, purpose, means, impact, and human responsibility as both servants and vicegerents of Allah. This article analyses the fiqh principles that shape the normative assessment of tourism and proposes a Maqasid-Oriented Tourism Fiqh Framework. The study adopts a qualitative approach, employing doctrinal and document analyses of Qur’anic verses, authentic hadith, works on usul al-fiqh and maqasid al-shariah, and academic literature on Islamic, halal, and sustainable tourism. The data are analysed thematically according to the five legal rulings (al-ahkam al-taklifiyyah), Islamic legal maxims, the concept of maslahah, and the five essential necessities of maqasid al-shariah. The findings demonstrate that the legal ruling governing tourism is contextual: an activity that is originally permissible may become obligatory, recommended, reprehensible or prohibited depending on its purpose, the traveller’s capacity, sources of funding, types of activities undertaken, and resulting impacts. The analysis identifies six layers of assessment: intention, purpose of travel, means and resources, implementation, impact, and governance and accountability. This framework expands the discourse on halal tourism beyond facility-based compliance towards a comprehensive assessment encompassing the protection of religion, life, intellect, family, wealth, human dignity, the environment, and community rights. The article provides a conceptual foundation for developing destination indicators, organisational policies, Shariah compliance audits, and empirical research on Muslim tourists’ experiences.

Tourism Fiqh; Islamic Tourism; Halal Tourism; Maqasid Al-Shariah; Sustainable Tourism

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