Journey forth from your own self to God’s Self—voyage without end
Jalal al-Din Rumi
Sacred Footsteps is an online publication dedicated to spiritual & alternative travel, history & culture from a Muslim perspective. Alongside our articles and guides, our podcast aims to highlight aspects of history and culture that are often overlooked, as well as trends within travel and the so-called ‘halal travel’ industry that aims to cater for Muslim travellers. We now offer uniquely packaged tours, that have a particular focus on encouraging sustainable, ethical and responsible travel practices.
Our Stories on Instagram take viewers on intimate tours around the world, and our annual Global Mawlid and Ramadan Stories showcase the diversity amongst the global Muslim community.
For press enquiries, advertising, collaborations and article submissions, click here.
Editorial Team
Zara Choudhary (Editor-in-Chief) | Zirrar | Omar Rais | Yasmine Ahmed
Contributors
Editor/Writer
Photographer/ Writer
Writer/Photographer
Writer
Commercial lawyer by day. Aspiring student of knowledge by night. History lover. Best travel moment? Stalking a tower of giraffes on horseback.
Graduate of Arabic & International Relations from the University of Westminster whose dissertation focused on Arabic Literature and Literacy in West Africa. Started an MA in Translation at SOAS with a specialisation in Arabic and Islamic Texts, before going onto al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt where he is currently doing another degree in Islamic Studies & Arabic. Rose to international acclaim for his ‘Beyond Bilal: Black History in Islam’ lecture series which saw him explore & uncover the deep rooted relationship between Islam and Black History.
Writer
Writer
PhD in Islamic Studies. Translator. Author. Best travel moment? My meeting with the Order of the Assassins in Masyaf in 2008.
Zain al-Haddad read law in Malaysia, then concurrently ran a bizarre participatory arts collective, a communications agency and Peace Meal (Kuala Lumpur's 'Rumi's Cave'), before moving to Tareem, Hadhramout for 5 years. Now in Granada, he in the midst of relocating to south Mexico. Best travel moment? Travelling for 3 days at 10km/h upstream en route the Amazon on a barge rented from cattle transporters.
Wasi Dr Abu Bakr Sirajuddin Cook is a Research Fellow at Almiraj Sufi and Islamic Study Centre, Broken HIll, Australia. He has presented at a range of international conferences and published on various aspects of Sufism in academic journals. Currently researching the history of Sufism in Australia.
Writer
Currently studying History & South Asian Studies (Hindi) at SOAS. Passionate about using the power of history to challenge current political narratives in regards to race & gender. Classical musician who loves reading postcolonial literature & visiting exhibitions. Best travel moment? Journeying through rural Gujarat to the White Salt Desert/ Rann of Kutch, India.
Writer
Writer
New Yorker by way of Jamaica. Unschooling mom of two. Environmental Engineer turned Travel Writer & Plant Based Consultant. Passionate about spiritual parenting, sustainability & veganism. Best Travel Moment? Running into a seeker I met in California while praying in the courtyard of Masjid an-Nabawi.
Bilal Hassan is a doctor by profession. He also works as a photojournalist and travel/culture writer. He has been published and featured in numerous publications, including Vice, The Guardian, The Toronto Star, Al Jazeera, BBC and Gulf News to name a few.
He also co-founded Pakistan’s first guided tour bus in Karachi called the Super Savari Express. He hosts his own food and travel themed podcast on Patari, a local streaming platform. In his spare time he enjoys traveling to off the beaten track parts of the country.
Writer, poet and singer based near Granada, Spain. SOAS grad in African Language and Culture, author of The Invisible Muslim: Journeys Through Whiteness and Islam (Hurst, 2020). Plant obsessed, highly tangential, mother of three. Best travel moment? Splashing among phosphorescent algae at full moon on a sandbank off Zanzibar.
Writer
French born Mauritian from Paris. Accountant. Student of knowledge. Passion for Muslim heritage & producing creative video content. Best travel moment? Seeing the stars through a clear sky for the first time in Mauritius.
SOAS Arabic graduate. Wife. Mother. Student of Anse Tamara Gray. Healthy eating enthusiast. Best travel moment? Wading through the spice fields in Zanzibar on my honeymoon.
Based in Sydney/Gadigal land. Former travel-blogger (Wayfarer’s Compass). International Studies grad with a Spanish Major. Completing a Masters in Social Work. Lover of all things green and crafty. Traveling to connect with the Ummah and Islamic history. Favourite travel moment? Couchsurfing in Iran.
Writer
Studies Engineering at the University of Toronto. Spends hours walking all over Toronto and when he gets a chance, prints footsteps on foreign soil. Loves the adventure of reaching spots that others dare not go. Best travel moment? Climbing past the guided pathway and reaching the highest point of Gibraltar
Writer
Muhammad A. Twahir is a translator and writer from Kerala, India and is a graduate of Jamia Markaz's World Institute for Research in Advanced Sciences (WIRAS) in Calicut. His interests lie in aesthetics, art, hagiography, and history. He's currently working as an editor for Malaibar Press in Kerala and is also pursuing an online master's degree from Usul Academy, Istanbul.
Researcher. Film maker. Pizza baker. Baking Sociology theories at the University of Warwick and dismantling the Empire one video at a time. Best travel moment? Getting off at Kilburn station and walking to Rumi's Cave.
A journalist and a photographer who is obsessed with history. I love exploring the nooks and crannies of urban spaces to discover new stories, meanings, and moments of magic. When not wandering around or taking photographs, I work for First Draft, a London based non-profit that fights online misinformation.
Performance poet, rapper, visual artist & workshop facilitator. One half of Muslim female Hip Hop duo, Poetic Pilgrimage, has toured the world with her music. Holds a BA in English Literature & Caribbean Studies & currently doing an MA in Cultural Management & Creative Industries. Favourite travel moment? Time spent with her father in Jamaica experiencing the 'Natural Mystic' of the beautiful island her family originate from.
Founder and Director of international human rights organisation Restless Beings, Rahima Begum has been actively campaigning for the past decade on human rights abuses across the world. Rahima has worked tirelessly for communities without a voice for over 15 years and has delivered numerous high profile lectures and workshops across the globe.
Writer
Corporate lawyer. Entrepreneur. Writer. Coffee lover. Travel blogger (#explorehisbounty). Fuelled by a passion for travel and adventure, left the world of corporate finance & moved from London to East Africa 3 years ago. Best travel moment? Swimming with a pod of 300 dusky dolphins off the coast of New Zealand.
Doctoral candidate studying how work and money shape Muslim/human intimacies. Retired engineer anticipating the next big career leap. Lover of solo journeys, sad music, and soulful conversations. Best travel moment? Kayaking into Fajardo's bioluminescent bay on a pitch dark night and soaking my feet in its starry waters.
Currently writing a PhD on refugee protection, Europe's violent past (& present), & for my soul - the power of food. Born in Serbia, raised in New Zealand, currently living in Australia. Best travel moment? Celebrating my birthday with my mother watching the most radiant sunset accompanied by the sound of the bells from the Hindu Temple followed by the Adhan & ending with Taarab music played by the Dhow Countries Music Academy (Stone Town, Zanzibar).
