Residing in Lands of Disbelief
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Fatwa No. ( 1177 ):
Q: A believing man who is monotheistic and sincere in his worship of Allah alone, associating no one with Him, yet he resides among groups of disbelievers. He is unable to declare his religion openly or clarify his objectives, and he is unable to emigrate from there. Speak about the situation of this man.
A: If the condition of this believer is as you described, namely his inability to declare tawhid (the oneness of Allah), spread Islam, and explain its objectives, and that he lives among the disbelievers and is unable to emigrate to a country where he can declare his religion and call to it, then he is excused, and perhaps Allah will forgive him. He must seize the opportunity to call to the religion in secret, so perhaps Allah will prepare for him those who will respond to him and support him. He must also seize the opportunity to escape and emigrate from the lands of the disbelievers to the lands of the Muslims, and strive in that; so that the number of Muslims increases, and so that he can cooperate with them in establishing the rites of Islam. As for the one who is able to emigrate to the lands of Islam but does not emigrate, and is content to live in the lands of the disbelievers, suppressed or compromising at the expense of his religion, he has wronged himself, his religion, and the Muslims. He is threatened that his abode will be Hellfire
and what an evil destination it is. Allah the Exalted said:
(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 - (99) For those it is expected that Allah will pardon them, and Allah is ever Pardoning and Forgiving.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَوَفَّاهُمُ الْمَلائِكَةُ ظَالِمِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ قَالُوا فِيمَ كُنْتُمْ قَالُوا كُنَّا مُسْتَضْعَفِينَ فِي الأَرْضِ قَالُوا أَلَمْ تَكُنْ أَرْضُ اللَّهِ وَاسِعَةً فَتُهَاجِرُوا فِيهَا فَأُولَئِكَ مَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ وَسَاءَتْ مَصِيرًا (97) إِلا الْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ وَالنِّسَاءِ وَالْوِلْدَانِ لاَ يَسْتَطِيعُونَ حِيلَةً وَلاَ يَهْتَدُونَ سَبِيلا (98) فَأُولَئِكَ عَسَى اللَّهُ أَنْ يَعْفُوَ عَنْهُمْ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَفُوًّا غَفُورًا
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.