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I often go out with my friends (most of them are non-Muslim) and visit their place of worship and it feels good as I gain knowledge about what and how they worship (I never worship or pray with them). Is it haram to visit other religious places in Islam?

NOTE: ALLAH(Swt) has implied that

it is incumbent on every Muslim to gain knowledge.

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    Why do you have to visit their holy places to gain knowledge about their religion? Aren't their books enough? – Najeeb May 12 '15 at 5:15
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    Reading and practical experiences differ brother – asif khan May 12 '15 at 6:05
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    @asifkhan yes they do differ, but what is the reason behind the visit to gain knowledge? Are you planning to gain info so that you can give a inter-religion debate and do a q&a over it? – mtk May 14 '15 at 9:54
  • The current accepted answer although "correct", but still fails to suggest any technical risks involved in doing so. So, I suggest, you be careful out there, don't get too involved. It is better if you not go there. – servant-of-Wiser Jun 1 '15 at 11:57
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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=L5Cyv5bDEe0

^ This is Ahmed Deedat. A fine example of what would happen if Muslims studied other religions for knowledge. Whether it being by reading a book or going to the source itself (church, temple, etc).

Being open minded and having discourse with one another would eventually lead to great things. Sharing ideas is crucial to a healthy society and much can be learned, even if you are reading about another religion. You never know when it could be useful, and because of your knowledge you may even get a few other people to switch to the halal side. You can all thank me in the hereafter for contributing to good deeds.

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Nothing wrong with visiting places of worship of other religions, be it for educational purpose or not. So long as you are sure not to fall for the forbidden.

You can even say your prayers in those places as long as the place does not fall under the category where saying the prayer is impermisible. E.g. the place should not have been built on usurped land (same ruling applies even to mosques)

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Should you visit a place where people are worshipping Iblis just for gaining knowledge? Are you not tempting yourself by stating that your visits to their temples won t have any effect on your life as a muslim or will not harm you in any way? When Allah is not tempting you why are you tempting you yourself?

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  • Here, for the answers to stand out firm, I think, you need to have references than just advices. – servant-of-Wiser May 14 '15 at 0:07
  • Why the downvote? It's a perfectly good answer. – Najeeb May 14 '15 at 12:50
  • It is an ignorant answer. The Ahl al-Kitab do not worship Iblis. They worship the same God that we worship, – aasheq May 14 '15 at 21:18
  • Worshipping statues of Maria or Jesus is shirk! Are they worshipping the same God as we do, not to mention the statues in Hindu temples? – Yahya777 May 15 '15 at 9:45

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