Travelling to a land in which evil is widespread
Question

                What is the ruling on travelling to an Arab Muslim land where evil and haraam things are widespread? Many newly-weds travel to that country for a holiday or to spend their honeymoon there. What is required of one who travels to that country?
Praise be to Allah.Firstly: 
In the 
    answer to question no. (67587), 
    we have stated what people call the honeymoon is one of the reprehensible 
    habits that have become widespread among the Muslims, which has led to a 
    great deal of negative consequences that can harm both spouses.  
Secondly: 
With regard 
    to travelling to a country where evil and haraam things are widespread, that 
    is haraam and it is not permissible to travel unless that is for an 
    essential need. Travel for a holiday or for fun is not an essential need 
    that would make it permissible to do this haraam action. 
Travelling 
    to a land in which sin and evil are widespread, whether it is a Muslim 
    country or not, involves many dangers and haraam actions, including the 
    following: 
1 – Sitting 
    in places of entertainment where sins are committed such as drinking alcohol 
    and gambling, entering places of entertainment and dance halls, and not 
    condemning those who do that. This is doing a haraam action and failing to 
    do an obligatory action, whereby the Muslim is guilty of sin. 
2 – Loss of 
    modesty because of the tempting scenes and immoral conduct and animalistic 
    behaviour that one sees in those countries. 
Shaykh 
    ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan al-Jibreen mentioned a number of these evils 
    and things that go against Islam in his answer when he was asked about the 
    phenomenon of families travelling to Arab and western countries: 
He replied: 
There are 
    many ahaadeeth which forbid the making of images… they are general in 
    meaning and apply to all images, whether they are engraved, carved or drawn, 
    and whether they are three-dimensional or have no shadow (two-dimensional). 
    There is the command to erase all images, and it is narrated that the angels 
    do not enter any house in which there is an image. Because of the necessity 
    nowadays to protect borders and rights, the shaykhs and scholars have 
    granted a concession with regard to necessities such as ID documents and 
    passports etc, for those who want to travel for the sake of medical 
    treatment or for essential studies and the like. Such a person may have his 
    picture taken for his passport because it is not possible to travel 
    otherwise. But as for travelling for the sake of pleasure or fun, this is 
    not essential. I think that taking photographs is not permissible for this 
    purpose. Travelling with one’s wife and family for pleasure and fun leads to 
    many negative consequences, foremost among which is taking pictures of 
    mahrams whereby men at the border posts see them even though it is haraam 
    for a woman to uncover her face in front of non-mahram men. 
Secondly:  
There is no 
    benefit in these journeys at all, rather they are a waste of precious time. 
    The claim that these trips are for discovery and learning about other 
    countries and their benefits are not true. Those who travel do not use their 
    trips to learn and ponder; rather they use them to relax and enjoy looking 
    at different scenes.  
Thirdly:  
These trips 
    are a waste of money which is spent by these travellers and which goes to 
    benefit the kuffaar who are the enemies of Islam and use it to support kufr, 
    promote false religions and wage war against Islam and the Muslims. 
Fourthly: 
They indulge 
    in permissible things which distract them from acts of worship, and they may 
    do many makrooh things which lead them into haraam things. We often hear 
    that those travellers intend to do promiscuous things, then they fall into 
    zina, drinking alcohol, listening to music, going to dance halls and places 
    of entertainment and spending huge amounts of money on those haraam and 
    makrooh things, which benefits the kuffaar and harms the Muslims. 
Fifthly: 
The 
    believing women end up doing things that are contrary to Islam, by lifting 
    the veil of modesty, uncovering their faces and heads, showing their 
    adornment and imitating the kaafir women on the grounds that they cannot 
    cover among women who are uncovered. Thus they fall into sin and imitate the 
    kaafir women and sinful women, and their guardians cannot stop them. 
Sixthly: 
Travelling 
    to those countries for no necessary reasons is a means of committing sin or 
    looking down on the Muslims, whereby one scorns the teachings of Islam and 
    develops respect for the kuffaar in one's heart. We advise Muslims to 
    protect themselves, their minds, their womenfolk, their wealth, their 
    religious commitment and their worldly interests by not travelling except in 
    cases of urgent need. 
And Allaah 
    is the Source of strength and the Guide to the straight path. May Allaah 
    send blessings and peace upon Muhammad and his family and companions. End 
    quote. 
Shaykh 
    Saalih ibn Fawzaan al-Fawzaan was asked a number of questions about young 
    men travelling with their wives after getting married or during holidays, 
    and the attitude of guardians about young women travelling with their 
    husbands. There follow some of these questions and his answers: 
1 – If a 
    father knows that his son is going to travel abroad after getting married, 
    is he obliged to stop him? What is the evidence for that? 
Answer: The 
    father should stop his son from travelling abroad if the journey is merely 
    for pleasure and if he is able to stop him, because of the harm that 
    travelling will do to his religious commitment and to him. If he cannot stop 
    him, then he has to advise him and not give him any money for that, because 
    that would be helping him in sin and transgression. 
2 – If the 
    father of the wife knows that his daughter’s husband is going to take her on 
    a trip abroad after they get married, is he obliged to stop her? Is she 
    obliged to obey her father and not travel, or should she obey her husband 
    and travel abroad for pleasure? 
Answer: The 
    wife’s father has the right to prevent her from travelling abroad with her 
    husband if the trip is merely for pleasure. The wife should not obey her 
    husband in that, because there is no obedience to any created being if it 
    involves disobedience towards the Creator. 
Thirdly: 
With regard 
    to what is required of the one who travels to that country: if his trip is 
    for a necessary purpose which makes it permissible, such as medical 
    treatment and the like, then Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan said: 
My advice to 
    those who travel abroad for permissible purposes is that they should fear 
    Allaah and adhere to their religion and practise it openly; they should feel 
    proud of it and call others to it and convey its message to the people. They 
    should be a good example and represent the Muslims in a good light, and they 
    should not remain in the kaafir land for longer than is necessary. End quote.