Bicyle touring as a Muslim

I’m a Muslim convert with a new passion for touring the world by bicycle. I just completed my first tour across South Africa. When I was newly interested in cycling, there were two big hurdles I had to cross: clothing and intention. As my distances grew, I encountered another: performing salah on the road. I found surprisingly few resources online to help me answer relatively simple questions, and so in cases I had to get a little creative. I’ll do my best to share what I learned.

Muslim men are required to cover themselves from their naval (belly button) to the bottom of their knees. Women have to cover much more. Not doing so is considered equivalent to being naked, and is sinful. Winter isn’t an issue for us men, but most summer cycling clothing fits above the knee. At times, 3/4 bibs which fall just below the knee can work, but it took a while until I discovered Lusso’s Cooltech 3/4 Bibtights, rated for 12-20ºC temperatures. Much better than thermal equivalents rated for lower temperatures, but far too warm for the 30-40ºC temperatures I’ve been cycling in.

After trying several options, I settled on Pearl iZumi’s Sun Legs. They’re thin, and have the added benefit of UV protection. I ended up covering my body for the sun protection, leaving only my face exposed. This gave me a simple explanation to tell non-Muslims who asked why I was dressed this way.

Before converting to Islam, I would readily do such activities without putting much thought into “why” besides my own personal enjoyment. Islam taught me the importance of intention. I could no longer bring myself to continue these activities, considering myself a bit too selfish in doing so. When I developed a burning desire to return, I spoke with some fellow Muslims and came up with some good intentions that put that side of me at ease.

What were some of these good intentions? The Quran has many references to travelling, and there are many other articles like this one that cover reasons for travelling as a Muslim that I won’t bother repeating them here. Acting upon these Quranic verses, hadith, and selecting other good intentions from these works builds a good base. An important one I’d like to call out specifically is reflecting on Allah’s creation. I have so many opportunities to do this while on the road, something most people never do, and it strengthens one’s faith when asking oneself “how can this exist without God?” Then you look at man’s creation and realise the immense gap.

An important intention I had was spreading the word of Islam. I’m one who believes this is largely achieved by being a good ambassador of Islam, which comes from being as good a person as I can be. Islam teaches us to do good and refrain from bad, and it’s these actions that lead to the spreading of Islam. I do also answer questions and discuss Islam with those who asked, but seldom do I initiate such a discussion. This might lead to fewer discussions of Islam, but it avoids sensitive discussions with those who aren’t interested or ready for it. The others still have the opportunity to observe me reading salah, or they might connect my beard with Islam. I consider that sufficient for them to connect my good actions to Islam.

I also had the intention of visiting mosques along the way, but the problem is that you’re not allowed to enter a mosque when you smell. Clearly, I’m going to smell terribly while cycling all day in the hot sun. So that never worked out, unfortunately. I did visit a mosque once on a rest day, and it brought me to tears! Another issue is that Muslims follow different rulings (the four imams), and being Hanafi there are some conditions before I can read salah behind a Shafi imam, which was more widespread in South Africa.

Since I can’t visit a mosque while cycling, how can I read salah (the name of our prayers)? Fortunately, Muslims are allowed to read their salah almost anywhere (except for disgraceful places like the toilet). Although we generally have to wash ourselves with water, we have another way of purifying ourselves (Tayammum) using any earthly substance such as dirt. So I’d just find a flat spot on the side of the road, rest my bike nearby, and read salah there. If I had enough water, I’d perform wudu, otherwise I’d perform tayammum. It’s rarely difficult to find a good spot, but sometimes weather conditions make it less than desirable. Busy cities are tricky places, but I can usually pass through them quickly enough, or plan ahead. The weather, such as rain, I just have to deal with, knowing the importance of salah, although salah times are wide enough that usually I can avoid the worst of the rain.

Reading salah on the go, and the other things I’ve mentioned, has taught me a lot about various practical aspects of Islam. I also encountered many challenges, where the teaches of Islam provide a general framework for how to decide what to do, but I had to learn to adapt to these new scenarios. Men are not allowed to engage with women for example, but there were some cases where I had to, such as booking accommodation. I tend to try my best, and then ask an Islamic scholar afterwards if what I did was correct or if I could have done better. I’m wired this way after studying Islam full-time for three years, and also have strong connections with a great scholar. I encourage other Muslims to develop this mindset, as otherwise it’s too easy to fall into the habit of sinning without realising what you’re doing.

There are several duas I recite, most on a daily basis. I’ll share some of the more relevant ones here. Before setting out on each ride, getting into a car or any other mode of transport, I recite the Quranic verse

سُـبْحَانَ الَّذِي سَخَّـرَ لَنَا هَذَا وَمَا كُنّا لَهُ مُقْـرِنينوَإِنّا إِلى رَبِّنا لَمُنـقَلِبُون

(Subhanal-ladzi sakh-khara lana hadza wa ma kunna lahu muqrinin. Wa inna ila Rabbina lamun-qalibun.)

and the dua

بِسْم اللَّهِ توكَّلْتُ عَلَى اللَّهِ، وَلا حوْلَ وَلا قُوةَ إلاَّ بِاللَّهِ

(Bismillah, tawakkaltu ‘alallah, wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah)

There are more travel-related duas here.

I make a few duas for my well-being:

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ الْعَفْوَ وَالْعَافِيَةَ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالآخِرَةِ

(Allahumma inni as’alukal-‘afwa wal-‘afiyah fid-dunya wal-akhirah)

اللَّهُمَّ عَافِنِي فِي بَدَنِي، اللَّهُمَّ عَافِنِي فِي سَمْعِي، اللَّهُمَّ عَافِنِي فِي بَصَرِي، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ

(Allahumma ‘afini fi badani, Allahumma ‘afini fi sam’i, Allahumma ‘afini fi basari La ilaha illa anta)

اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّیْ أَعُوْذُبِکَ مِنَ الْبَرَصِ، وَالْجُنُوْنِ، وَالْجُذَامِ، وَمِنْ سَیِّءِ الاَسْقَامِ

(Allahumma inni a’udhu bika minal-barasi, wal-jununi, wal-judhami, wa min sayyi’il-asqaam)

and this one for protection from harmful creatures:

أَعـوذُبِكَلِمـاتِ اللّهِ التّـامّـاتِ مِنْ شَـرِّ ما خَلَـق

(A‘udhu bi kalimat Allaah al-taammaat min sharri ma khalaq)

and I recite the following three times in the morning and evening for protection from calamities in general, and before eating/drinking anything that might be harmful:

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الَّذِي لاَ يَضُرُّ مَعَ اسْمِهِ شَىْءٌ فِي الأَرْضِ وَلاَ فِي السَّمَاءِ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ

(Bismillahil-ladhi la yadurru ma’as-mihi shai’un fil-ardi wa la fis-sama’i, wa Huwas-Sami’ul-‘Alim)

Whenever I leave my bike or other belongings unattended, I recite xcxc 11 times, and ayatul kursi:

اللَّهُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ لاَ تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلاَ نَوْمٌ لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الأَرْضِ مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِنْدَهُ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِهِ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ وَلاَ يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلاَّ بِمَا شَاءَ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاواتِ وَالأَرْضَ وَلاَ يَئُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ

(Allahu laaa ilaaha illaa huwal haiyul qai-yoom; laa taakhuzuhoo sinatunw wa laa nawm; lahoo maa fissamaawaati wa maa fil ard; man zallazee yashfa’u indahooo illaa be iznih; ya’lamu maa baina aideehim wa maa khalfahum; wa laa yuheetoona beshai ‘immin ‘ilmihee illa be maa shaaaa; wasi’a kursiyyuhus samaa waati wal arda wa la ya’ooduho hifzuhumaa; wa huwal aliyyul ‘azeem)

Make sure to always recite durood before and after any dua. With these duas, I was protected from all sorts of bad things. The worst that happened is an issue with my tubeless tyre setup, which lost me a day of cycling. From what I’ve heard of others’ adventures, it could easily have been far worse.