What is the ruling on traveling abroad to study law?

The questioner : The questioner says: I am a committed young man, and praise be to Allah for His blessings upon me. I graduated from one of the universities in the Kingdom from the Department of Law, and I currently work in a government agency. The agency requires me to travel abroad to continue my higher studies in law. What is your advice to me?

The Shaykh : We mentioned in a previous session on these days that we do not see traveling abroad as permissible except with three conditions. I hope whoever has them in mind will count them for me.

Another questioner : regarding desires, then a scientific foundation so that they possess a degree of knowledge that prevents them from falling into doubtful matters. The third is need.

The Shaykh : Well done. We said that we do not see it permissible to travel abroad except with three conditions: that the traveler possesses knowledge with which he can repel doubts, because he will find there enemies of Islam who will bring upon him doubts that make him hesitant and doubtful about his religion, whether regarding Allah the Mighty and Majestic, or His Book, or His Messenger, or the state of the Muslims. For the disbelievers, my brothers, the disbelievers today argue against Islam based on the actions of Muslims. They say, “Where is the Islam you speak of? Where is the Islam that commands truthfulness, giving sincere advice, keeping promises, and being trustworthy, and the like of what is known from the religion of Islam?” So when they look at the Muslims and their reality, they find that their state contradicts their religion, and that they are greatly characterized by lying, treachery, betrayal, consuming wealth unjustly, foolishness, and other such things. So when these disbelievers receive the young man and embrace him, they make him doubt Allah, or His Book, or His Messenger, or the religion of Islam, using as their example the people of Islam in the present time.
By Allah, if we had returned to the state of our righteous predecessors in embodying our religion in the rights of Allah and the rights of the servants of Allah, hearts would have opened to us before countries opened to us. But in reality, we have been negligent in our worship, our manners, our morals, and our strength, until we have become what you see.
I say that it is necessary that he possess knowledge with which he can repel [doubts], and that he possess religion with which he can repel sexual desires, intoxication, gambling, and other such things. The third is that he needs to travel such that this specialization does not exist in our country. But if it exists in the Kingdom, then there is no need to travel. I only stipulated these conditions because I found danger in those who travel abroad. And that danger or deviation is not general for everyone who has traveled. Among those who have traveled is a righteous group who judge by truth and call to truth, and they were, praise be to Allah, a bright light that brings joy to a person when he hears of their actions. Among those who went to study are people who established Islamic associations, some of whom speak to one another, and some of them establish magazines that they distribute and publish among the people there. And not everyone who goes abroad deviates. No, but the matter is dangerous. Therefore, I say to this brother the questioner: if you know from yourself that you are committed to these three conditions, then there is no blame on you in traveling. Otherwise, think about your matter a second time. What he said, what he said, what he said.

Another questioner : He is going to study law. Secular law.

The Shaykh : Yes, studying secular law is not free from two states: either a person studies it to apply it, and that is among the most dangerous things, as it may lead to disbelief; or he studies it to refute it and demonstrate its invalidity, and bring what opposes it from the system of Islam. This is permissible, and it may even be obligatory, because one who does not know falsehood cannot refute it. If you do not know falsehood, you cannot refute it. So if a person studies these laws to know their invalidity and refute them, and bring what is better than them from the systems of Islam, then there is no harm in that, and it may even be obligatory. Is that it? What is your opinion?