Residing in Lands of Sin While Having the Ability to Migrate

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Question:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. The questioner says: Is it permissible for me to reside in my Muslim country while shirk (associating partners with Allah) and sins are widespread, and I have the ability to migrate to these blessed lands, the lands of tawhid (the oneness of Allah)?

Answer:
There is no doubt that if you are able to migrate, it is obligatory for you, and it is not permissible for you to reside in the lands of the mushrikin (those who associate partners with Allah). You would be among those about whom Allah said: Have you not seen

⁽⁹⁷⁾ Indeed, those whom the angels take [in death] while wronging themselves - [the angels] will say, "In what [condition] were you?" They will say, "We were oppressed in the land." The angels will say, "Was not the earth of Allah spacious [enough] for you to emigrate therein?" For those, their refuge is Hell - and evil it is as a destination. ⁽⁹⁸⁾ Except for the oppressed among men, women and children who cannot devise a plan nor are they directed to a way -

الَّذِينَ تَوَفَّاهُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ ظَالِمِي أَنفُسِهِمْ قَالُوا فِيمَ كُنتُمْ قَالُوا كُنَّا مُسْتَضْعَفِينَ فِي الْأَرْضِ قَالُوا أَلَمْ تَكُنْ أَرْضُ اللَّهِ وَاسِعَةً فَتُهَاجِرُوا فِيهَا فَأُولَٰئِكَ مَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ وَسَاءَتْ مَصِيرًا إِلَّا الْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ

[An-Nisa 4:97-98]

except for the weak who are unable to migrate. As for the one who is able to migrate, he must migrate from the lands of kufr (disbelief) to the lands of Islam,

And whoever emigrates for the cause of Allah will find on the earth many [alternative] locations and abundance. And whoever leaves his home as an emigrant to Allah and His Messenger and then death overtakes him - his reward has already become incumbent upon Allah

وَمَن يُهَاجِرْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ يَجِدْ فِي الْأَرْضِ مُرَاغَمًا كَثِيرًا وَسَعَةً وَمَن يَخْرُجْ مِن بَيْتِهِ مُهَاجِرًا إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ثُمَّ يُدْرِكْهُ الْمَوْتُ فَقَدْ وَقَعَ أَجْرُهُ عَلَى اللَّهِ

[An-Nisa 4:100]

. Yes.

Source شرح إغاثة اللهفان من مصائد الشيطان لابن القيم، بداية من قول المُصَنِّف : ومن علامات صحة القلب — islamhouse.com (1:17:52)

The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.

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