Wednesday, 29 April 2026 (12 Dhuʻl-Qiʻdah 1447 AH)
Question: Is it permissible for a Muslim to go abroad to Europe or America in order to obtain the money he needs for marriage, building a home, and so on, while he and his religion are frequently subjected there to contempt, mockery, and belittlement, and he suffers greatly from that, and cannot there defend himself or respond?
Answer: If the situation is as stated in the question, then going abroad is not permissible. The proof of that is:
1. That Allah has forbidden believers to sit with those who mock the religion and Islam: “And it has already been revealed to you in the Book that when you hear the verses of Allah being denied and mocked at, then do not sit with them…” [al-Nisā’:140]
2. That Allah, Exalted is He, did not excuse those Muslims who remained among the polytheists under the claim of being oppressed: “They will say, ‘We were oppressed in the land.’ They will say, ‘Was not the earth of Allah spacious enough for you to emigrate therein?’” [al-Nisā’:97]
3. That Allah, Exalted is He, has made it obligatory upon the Muslim to establish the obligations of Islam and its duties and rites completely and perfectly. It is not permissible for him to remain in a land where he cannot establish what Allah, Exalted is He, has charged him with of obligations, rites, and duties, while he has the means to go to another place where he can establish them. Allah did not excuse anyone except the oppressed among men, women, and children who cannot devise a plan nor find a way.
4. That Allah, Exalted is He, has assigned honour (ʿizzah) to the believers, as in His saying: “But honour belongs to Allah, and to His Messenger, and to the believers.” [al-Munāfiqūn:8] It is not permissible for a Muslim to surrender the honour of faith while he finds a way to preserve it.
Source: Min Thimār al-ʿIlm wa al-Ḥikmah vol.2