Question
I read a fatwa stating that the prohibition of tourism in places of punishment is not correct. If that is the case, what is your interpretation of the noble prophetic hadiths that refer to the prohibition of staying in the places of the punished, such as: 'Do not enter upon these punished ones unless you are weeping; if you are not weeping, then do not enter upon them lest you be afflicted with what befell them' and other hadiths?
Answer
I say, and with God's success: There is nothing that indicates the sanctity, but rather the lesson and admonition are sought from traveling the land. Everything around the Muslim reminds him of God Almighty, strengthens his faith, and serves as a lesson for him. Al-Khattabi said: The meaning of this hadith is that the one who enters the lands of the people who were destroyed by an earthquake and punishment, if he enters and does not feel sorrow upon seeing the remnants of what befell them, nor does he feel sadness either out of compassion for them or fear of a similar fate befalling him, is hard-hearted, lacking in humility, and does not feel fear and dread. Thus, he is not safe from suffering what they suffered if his condition is like that, as mentioned in 'Umdat al-Ri'ayah 4: 1191, and God knows best.