Question:
My acquaintance has gone for Umrah. There, through an Umrah service, they took them to the city of Taif saying it is a ‘Sunnah visit’. Is going to Taif considered Sunnah?
Answer:
What the Umrah service people are doing is this: instead of only performing Umrah, they turn it into a tour package. Along with Umrah, they say you can go to Taif, go to Egypt, and visit several countries like a tourist trip. Going for tourism is a separate matter. There is no religious prohibition for that. But when they say that going to Taif is a Sunnah journey, on what basis do they say it is Sunnah?
Did the Messenger ﷺ of Allahﷻ ever say that those who perform Umrah must also go to Taif? Did he say that if someone performs Umrah, they must visit Taif? Or is the narration that the Prophetﷺ went to Taif itself a fabricated story? Stories like the Prophetﷺ walking in the streets of Taif and Aniba singing – these are fabricated reports. The Prophetﷺ never went to Taif. The claims that he went there and was beaten and chased out are all fabricated stories.
The people of Taif were met by the Prophetﷺ in Makkah itself. The hadith reported in Bukhari indicates that it was the people of Makkah who attacked them. This matter has already been explained in detail elsewhere using authentic narrations related to Taif.
Even if it is assumed that the Prophetﷺ went to Taif, would going to every place the Prophetﷺ visited automatically become Sunnah? The Prophetﷺ traveled to Syria for trade; does that make trading in Syria Sunnah? Not everything the Prophetﷺ did become Sunnah. Only what he instructed as part of religion becomes Sunnah.
Therefore, if someone says that visiting Taif is a Sunnah journey, they are deceiving people. Visiting Taif is not wrong. Historical places exist there. They can invite people saying, “Let us visit Taif and see historical locations.” Going to Taif, or visiting other places along with Umrah or Hajj, is not a crime. Why is it not a crime? Because Allahﷻ says in the Qur’an (6:11), “Travel through the land and observe what was the end of those who denied the truth.” Allahﷻ encourages people to travel and reflect.
Similar messages are mentioned in verses 12:109, 16:36, 22:46, 27:69, 29:20, 30:9, 30:42, and 40:44. All these verses encourage people to travel across lands and observe the ruins of past nations to learn lessons. Therefore, one can travel anywhere for tourism, to study history, and to understand Allahﷻ’s power and might. You may go to Taif, Egypt, Jerusalem, or any place you like. But you must not label such travel as Sunnah. It is allowed to travel meant for learning lessons from history.
Therefore, those organizing Umrah packages should not falsely label Taif visits as Sunnah. They can invite people by saying, “Let us visit historical places connected with the Prophetﷺ ’s life,” but without giving it a religious status. If they avoid falsely sanctifying it, it becomes a permissible tour. Combining tourism with Umrah or Hajj is not wrong.
Allahﷻ says that even trade is permissible during Hajj. When going for Hajj, it is not necessary to perform only Hajj rituals. One may buy goods from here, sell them there, and return after completing Hajj. Allahﷻ states that seeking the bounty of your Lord during Hajj is not sinful. Therefore, trade itself is allowed during Hajj. If trade is allowed, then tourism is also allowed. But it must not be falsely presented as Sunnah.