Is it wrong for a muslim to settle in a non-muslim country?

Bismillahi Ta’ala

Walaikum Assalam Warahmatullah

Mufti Ridhwan Saheb penned an answer tackling the specific topic of living among the non Muslim lands under Hazrat Mufti Ebrahim Desai rh. Saheb. I will reproduce that here:

In principle, if a person migrates to a non-Muslims country, then the ruling will differ according to the situation. Mufti Taqi Usmani has outlined some of these situations:

1. If a Muslim is forced by his circumstances to emigrate, e.g. he is persecuted in his country or imprisoned, or his property is confiscated etc, without his having committed any crime, and he sees no way other than to emigrate to a foreign country, then he would be permitted to do so in such a case without any Karahat (abhorrence) whatsoever, as long as he keeps himself away from widespread evil found there.

2. Similarly, if a Muslim is forced to emigrate due to his financial situation, i.e. he cannot find the necessary means of substinence despite extensive effort and he sees no alternative other than emigration to s non-Muslim country then he is permitted to emigrate subject to the above conditions. Earning a livelihood through permissible means is also a duty for a Muslims, after his other Fard duties, and the Shari’ah has not specified a certain place for it, Allah Ta’ala says:

{هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ ذَلُولًا فَامْشُوا فِي مَنَاكِبِهَا وَكُلُوا مِنْ رِزْقِهِ وَإِلَيْهِ النُّشُورُ} [الملك: 15]

“He is the one who has made the earth manageable for you. So traverse ye through its tracts, and enjoy of the sustenance which He furnishes; and unto him is the resurrection.” (Surah Al-Mulk, v.15)

3. If a Muslim adopts the national of a non-Muslim country for the purpose of calling its people towards Islam, or to convey Islamic laws to the Muslims residing there, and to encourage them to stay firm on their faith, then this is not only permissible, but also a source of reward. Many of the Sahabah and Tabi’een settled in distant Kuffar lands for this very purpose, and this action of theirs is counted amongst their citrus and points of merit.

4. If a person has enough means of a livelihood available to him in his native country to be able to live according to the (average) standard of its people, but he emigrates in order to raise his standard of living and live a life of luxury and comfort, then emigration for such purpose has at least some degree of karahat in it, because such a person is throwing himself into a storm of evil, and endangering his faith and moral character without there being any necessity for it. Experience shows that the people who settle in non-Muslim countries for luxury and comfort find their religious restraint diminishing in the face of many temptations of evil.

Thereafter, Mufti Taqi Usmani states:

Finally, if a person adopts a non-Muslim nationality solely for the purpose of increasing his standing in society, and as a matter of pride, or in preference to a Muslim nationality, or in imitation of the Kuffar, then all such actions are Haram without exception, and there is no need to cite evidence for this. (Contemporary fatawa p295 – Idara-e-Islamiat, Lahore)

Points 1 and 2 explaining your reason to emigrate are valid.

If you decide to reside in a non-Muslim country, then you may do so provided you are able to preserve your Ieman and the Ieman of your family and dependants.

Alhamdulillah, there are many Ulama in non-Muslim countries that have created Islamic environments there with good Islamic education for children. You should search for an Islamic environment in a non-Muslim country to reside in. Furthermore, it is important to personally supervise the Islamic upbringing of your children, wherever they are. If you live in a Muslim dominated country and rely on Islamic education and the facilities there, that is not sufficient. Many children in Muslim dominated countries are very far from deen. On the contrary, there are many Muslims residing in non-Muslim countries with good and sound Islamic conduct and practices.

As for the hadeeth from Sunan Abi Dawood in particular, another answer from Hazrat’s askimam mentions under the #4 mentioned above:

Therefore, it is reported in the ahadith that one should not live with disbelievers unnecessarily.

• Abu Dawood narrates from Samrah bin Jundub that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: “He who mingles with a disbeliever and dwells with him is like him.”
• Abu Dawood and Tirmidhi also report that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: “I am free (i.e. I disavow myself) from every Muslim who lives with disbelievers.” The Sahabah asked “Why, O Messenger of Allah?” He replied “The fires of the two cannot co-exist.”

Khattabi says in his commentary on this hadith that it has several meanings. One is that the two (a Muslim and a Kafir) are not equal in Hukm (ruling) they both have different rules. Some scholars take this view.

Others explain the meaning as being that Allah has differentiated between the lands of Islam and Kufr and consequently it is not allowed for a Muslim to live amongst disbelievers in their lands, because when the Kuffar light their fires he will be seen as one of them.

The scholars also derive from this the ruling that one should not stay in the lands of the Kuffar when visiting for trade etc. (Khattabi, Ma’alim-As-Sunan, K. Jihad, 473 : iii).

Abu Dawood relates from Makhool in his ‘Maraseel’ that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Do not leave your children amongst enemies (i.e. Kuffar). (Tahzeeb As-Sunan, Ibnul-Qayyim, 437 : iii)

For this reason, some scholars say that living in Kafir countries, and increasing their numbers solely for material wealth, is an action which damages ones ‘Adala (integrity). (Takmila Raddul-Mukhtar, p. 101, v. I).

While the topic is discussed it is very important for me to highlight that someone who chooses the right reasons to settle in these lands must stay vigilant for multiple Islamic duties which they take for granted in a Muslim land.

• Our children will not get the same upbringing, and will require a more concentrated effort
• Our income and employment environment will be constantly under attacks of temptation from shaytan for non-mahram gazes, interaction, chance of corrupted income as well as continued assistance in many forms of sins.
• Family dynamics, community dynamics as well as religious integration all take a heave attack on constant basis.

One of my students who stayed in Edmonton for his PhD studies wrote a detail observation upon his return to Pakistan keeping spirituality and effects of environment upon daily life of a Practicing Muslim. I feel it most apt to end this answer with those points.

Effects on Faith and Religion While Living in Non-Muslim Countries

1. A person who does not connect with any religious organization here is left alone in matters of faith.
2. The environment during Ramadan, Eid-ul-Fitr, and Eid-ul-Adha is not the same. Ordinary people miss out on Taraweeh and Friday prayers.
3. People generally miss their daily prayers. There are three types: those who miss prayers when away from home, those who pray in hiding at places where they can change clothes, and those who pray openly in Tim Hortons. However, finding a mosque or congregation is rare when you are away from home or office, or when you are in the market or out for a stroll.
4. Your children encounter blasphemous beliefs and terms from a young age. For instance, a child living in Pakistan is unfamiliar with terms like girlfriend, gay rights, and such obscenities. In contrast, children from religious households here are familiar with these terms even at the age of four, as these discussions are common everywhere.
5. The misfortune of having a non-praying neighbor is present, so imagine the extent of misfortune when irreligious people who openly deny Allah and His Messenger (PBUH) surround you.
6. The sound of the call to prayer (Adhan) is not heard, which leaves weak individuals without a reminder of the prayer times or calls to other important activities.
7. Eid prayers are calculated based on mathematical calculations, while mosques that observe Eid after sighting the moon are very few. Personally, I had to travel 400 kilometers for Eid prayers this time. Can everyone travel such a distance?
8. On Eid-ul-Adha, children remain completely unaware of the Sunnah of Ibrahim (AS). Animals cannot be brought, nor shown. If one wants to have an animal slaughtered, it is done after stunning, and only a few people do it.
9. Here, salvation lies only in maintaining a very close relationship with scholars, which people generally fail to do because they were not trained before coming here, resulting in a barrier between them and the scholars.
10. Public schools completely destroy religious values and spirituality, but even children who are homeschooled encounter people with animal tails, ears, and men dressed in women’s clothes.
11. If you are fortunate, you may be caught by Tablighi brothers or find a house near a mosque. Otherwise, people generally remain completely isolated in religious terms.
12. People consider going to the mosque, praying, and holding Eid parties as the completion of their faith because they didn’t even do this in Pakistan. However, those who were actively involved in religious work in Pakistan cannot fill the void in their hearts here because the necessary resources are not available.
13. Good company is rarely available, and even if one wants to seek it, often the Sheikh doesn’t have much time to give. The Sheikh has to go to the market to buy his own supplies, pick up and drop off his children from school, etc.
14. Materialism is such that after doing religious work, you can bring a person to pray, but as soon as they graduate from university, they get lost in this jungle of materialism.
15. As time passes here, the lack of good company, madrasas, and a conducive environment is felt less and less, as if a lock is being placed on the heart.
16. Generally, it has been observed that people initially prefer to live near a mosque, but as soon as they get a job, they move far from the mosque by taking a house on interest.
17. Evil does not seem bad in an evil environment. Also, the acts that are done secretly in a land of faith are done openly here.
18. Children learn the Quran online at home instead of from a Qari or in a mosque environment, leading to lifelong mistakes in pronunciation and Tajweed.
19. The human brain is a complex machine. When issues of electricity, water, and gas are resolved, it starts including buying an iPhone, a personal boat, camping, expensive clothes, etc., as essential needs. That is why you often hear people here say that money doesn’t grow on trees and that they can’t save money.
20. There is an abundance of dogs here. This means dog hair will be present everywhere: in the washing machine, in the store, in the hallway of the apartment. You are aware of the harms of bringing this hair into the house.

Wallahu A’lam

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mufti Faisal al-Mahmudi