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The Residence of a Muslim in a Non-Muslim Country
Translated
and summarized from "Some Rulings Concerning the Muslim Minorities", by Shaikh
Khalid Abdul Qadir
The Muslim who lives in a
Muslim country can perform his religious duties freely and completely with a
great feeling of security and peace. He is often reminded if he neglects any of
his religious duties. Therefore, the Muslim should reside only in the land of
Muslims. If he resides somewhere else it should be only with a legal excuse and
with the intention to leave that land as soon as the reason for residing there
no longer exists and it is possible to do so.
Muslims living in non-Muslim countries however suffer due to disrespect of their
religious feelings as well as attempts to have them integrated into those
societies. These attempts toward integration are sometimes advertised and backed
by the non-Muslim government. At other times the Muslims themselves desire to
integrate into the society. But their integration can sometimes be synonymous
with denying their Islamic values and customs. It leads Muslims to abandon their
creed and their religious heritage.
In fact, the trend of life in a non-Muslim country is contrary to Islamic
teachings. The environment has a great impact upon the lifestyle of Muslims
living there. Many Muslims living in the Western countries lose control of their
families. The Islamic educational institutions are scarce and lack the means and
experience to meet the needs of resident Muslims. So, they cannot effectively
counter the highly publicized campaign of depravation and moral degradation.
This failure often contributes to the destruction of the Muslim's ethics.
Moreover, the religious schools in those countries spare no effort to
Christianize Muslim youth or at least encourage them to neglect Islamic values
and to integrate, or to integrate totally into the larger society.
Therefore, if the Muslim cannot protect himself against such attempts and
influencing factors and cannot avoid them, then he should leave such an
environment. Even if he has the freedom necessary to perform his religious
duties and his religious rites whenever he wants because remaining in that
country could lead away from the correct worship of Allah in and also result in
showing partisanship and loyalty to non-Muslims. Anything that leads to a haram
act is also Haram. In other words, it is recommended for the Muslim living in a
land of disbelief to make Hijra (emigrate) to a land of Islam. But if the Muslim
becomes seduced from his religion and he is able to leave the land, then Hijra
is definitely compulsory for him.
First and foremost, it should be remembered that Hijra is not a getaway
withdrawal. Rather, it is a shift from the land of insolent injustice to the
land of truth in order to abide by this truth, increase the number of its
followers, and prepare to fight those who prevent people from hearing the call
to Islam.
Rulings of Hijra:
Technically, Hijra means to leave residing among disbelievers and hypocrites who
do not allow what Allah has ordered. Allah says: "(And bear
with patience what they utter, and part from them with a fair leave-taking."
(Al-Muzzammil 73: 10). Hijra can also mean leaving a land of war to a
land of Islam, i.e. a country ruled by Muslims and not at war.
The Shari'ah ruling about the Hijra from the land of war to the land of Islam is
linked closely to the extent to which the Muslim can perform his religious rites
and duties in complete security and also to the absence of fear of him or any
member of his family being tempted in religion.
1. So, if he cannot manifest his religion or fears temptation and aggression
against himself or his family, it becomes mandatory on him to make Hijra
whenever he can do so. Allah says: "Lo! as for those whom the
angels take (in death) while they wrong themselves, (the angels) will ask: In
what were ye engaged? They will say : We were oppressed in the land. (The
angels) will say: Was not Allah's earth spacious that ye could have migrated
therein? As for such, their habitation will be hell, an evil journey's end."
(An-Nisa' 4: 97). In this verse Allah made it obligatory on the Muslims
living among non-Muslims and who can not perform their religious duties to make
Hijra provided they are able and have the necessary means.
The Prophet (PBUH) said: "I am exempt from any Muslim who lives among the
Mushrikeen (disbelievers). Their fires (of cooking) should be so distant from
one another that none can be seen from the other." This is a metonymy meaning
the Muslims should live far from the disbelivers.
Scholars limited Hijra in that Hadith to the one who fears temptation and is
persecuted. Hijra was an individual obligation during the era of the Prophet (PBUH)
until the conquest of Makkah as Muslims were ordered to move from where they
were to join the Prophet (PBUH) to be together with him and united against
whatever afflicted them. Their aim also was to support the Prophet (PBUH) and
learn the religion. They also memorized from him and conveyed what they
memorized..
This obligation continued after the death of the Prophet (PBUH) for any Muslim
who fears for his religious freedom. Moawiya said that he heard the Prophet
saying: "Hijra (emigration) will not cease until Tawba (repentance) ceases and
Tawba will not cease until the sun rises from the west."
So, it is wrong for a Muslim to continue the sin of living among non-Muslims
when unable to perform his duties if he can in anyway emigrate. So, once the
Hijra becomes obligatory on someone and he is able to do it but refuses to do
so, he commits a great sin that could lead him to apostasy and disbelief. In
fact, staying in such a state means giving up the religion, committing sins,
leaving the obligations and duties, and engaging in prohibited acts while one
could have avoided that by Hijra. In such circumstances, one must flee that land
of disbelief and depravation, for the land of peace and safety.
Allah says: "Except the feeble among men, and the women, and
the children, who are unable to devise a plan and are not shown a way."
(An-Nisa' 4:98) This is an excuse accepted by Allah for this category of people
not to make Hijra. These are the old and weak men and women as well as the
children who can not free themselves from the hands of the disbelievers and even
if they could they would not be able to find a way out.
So it is lawful not to make Hijra if one lacks the necessary funds (money) and
the means of transportation. Ibn Abbas said: "My mother and I were among the
weak ones whom Allah has excused. She was one of the ladies and I was one of the
children." But if the excused person forces himself and makes Hijra, he will be
rewarded for doing so. The Messenger of Allah supplicated Allah in his prayer
for these weak people.
Among the conditions of Hijra is the availability of a Muslim country where one
has the freedom to move without problems. If we look at the contemporary Muslim
countries we find them vulnerable and not ready to receive millions of oppressed
Muslims in the world. In addition the authorities of the Muslim countries are
unlikely to allow them to enter even if the authorities in their respective
non-Muslim countries allowed them to emigrate!
Here we can say that the Muslims are excused who face temptation in their homes,
because of their religion and are unable to make Hijra. So, the persons who have
the ability to save them from this critical situation but caused this
humiliation and misery for them will be held responsible for their acts on the
Day of Judgement. But the intention of emigrating should be always present in
the minds of the Muslims and they should endeavour to achieve this goal. Allah
says: "O my bondmen who believe! Lo! My earth is spacious.
Therefore serve Me only." (Al-'Ankabut 29: 56)
It should be mentioned however that any group of Muslims living in a non-Muslim
country where they can protect their religion, lives and property must stay in
that country and should not emigrate.
3. If the Muslims in non-Muslim countries are able to perform their religious
duties publicly and freely and if they do not fear being tempted themselves or
their families, then Hijra is not obligatory on them according to the opinion of
the majority of scholars. But it is still preferable for them to emigrate as
they might be inclined to the non-Muslims' behaviour, customs and general
appearance because of being neighbours to them and befriending them. This
preference is more emphatic in our era as sins are now very common in non-Muslim
countries where family ties have become very weak. However, the Muslim should
therefore choose the country where fewer sins are committed if he has the
ability to do so.
Ibn Tyamiyah said: "The conditions and states of the countries are similar to
those of people. So, as the person sometimes becomes Muslim. Other times he
becomes kafir. Sometimes, he becomes a faithful believer, at other times he
becomes a hypocrite. Sometimes a pious person other times a sinful and bad one.
The same thing applies to countries and places depending on those who dwell in
them. So, the Hijra of the person from the land of kufr and sins to the land of
belief and obedience is like his repentance and shifting from kufr and sin to
belief and obedience. This matter will remain as such until the day of Judgement.
4. If one's residence in such countries, with his ability to perform his
religious duties and show his religious rites, will bring considerable benefits
to Muslims, then he could remain in such countries of disbelief. The result from
his stay in those countries is many times more beneficial to the Muslims as
compared to the shortcomings that may result from it. This ruling about the
residence is only for something profitable for Muslims such as studying sciences
or learning skills or similar things that are needed by the Muslims and are not
available in the Muslim land.
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