Some young men marry in their Islamic countries, then travel to study in those disbelieving countries

The questioner : What is happening now is that many of the brothers marry here and go in the field of study, in the field of knowledge, and as soon as they arrive in America, the field and opportunity for work abroad are opened to them there, and they live in an Islamic environment that is one hundred percent possible; is it possible for the brother to stay there as long as the opportunity is open to him for work and employment, and in the field of da'wah as well?

The Shaykh : By Allah, if it is known among the scholars that the fatwa is according to the text, and if the text is as you stated it in your words, then the answer is: yes, but do you think the question accepts discussion or not? I mean, for example, you just said that it is a one hundred percent Islamic environment; this cannot be the case!
Al-Halabi : I am trying to lighten it for you a little.

The Shaykh: Huh?
Al-Halabi : I am trying to lighten it for you a little...

The Shaykh : How?
Al-Halabi : I mean, approximately.

The questioner : I mean, just... the scope of an Islamic community; because many of the brothers, when they go to America, try to live within the scope of the mosque located in...

The Shaykh : No problem, my brother, but do these residents in this mosque mean they are living by Islamic rulings one hundred percent? No, say fifty percent, that is the best for them.

The questioner : Of course, this is not possible!

The Shaykh : This doctor. I know; because it is not possible, I say: there is exaggeration!

The questioner : The community is not possible in Lebanon, it is the same situation.

The Shaykh : Yes, but Lebanon.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : This doctor, the one whose book you presented to me, may Allah will it, is a noble Salafi man, but you cannot testify that he is a Muslim if you do not know him personally; what is the reason? Even—subhan Allah!—after he left me, it occurred to me that if he called me on the phone, I would advise him with this advice: he has a magnificent, great beard, and he is a handsome young man, white-skinned, black-haired, bare-headed, and wearing a tie; this is the environment they live in there. We used to suggest to him that he wear a white cap, similar to this "Shaykh Ahmad" that you saw!

Another questioner : "Diedat".

The Shaykh : "Diedat", do you see? Because this has become a sign for the Muslim that distinguishes him from the community he lives in, so it is very difficult for a person when he leaves an Islamic environment and lives there on Islamic traditions; the difficulty comes from two sides: the scientific side; that is, the issue needs people from the people of knowledge who are well-versed in Islam from all its aspects, and they are the ones who take charge of guiding this group with complete and correct Islamic guidance; this is the first difficulty. The second difficulty is that the educational side becomes very difficult for the Muslims themselves if they have not been accustomed to this lifestyle in their homeland and in Islamic countries.
I was given the opportunity about ten years ago to travel to Britain, and we toured some of the countries around London, and the time was Ramadan, so one of the Islamic da'iyah there in a town whose name I forget, by Allah, invited us; I later understood that he was from the group of "Shaykh Abul A'la al-Mawdudi" (may Allah have mercy on him). He invited us to break our fast with him in Ramadan, so we went to him, and the man received us well, and I found wisdom in him. The man was bearded and wearing a European suit, of course, a jacket and trousers, and wearing a tie. From the wisdom I found in him, I was encouraged to speak with him about Islam and the dress of Muslims and not imitating the disbelievers. I said to him: Frankly... the beard, and it is more than a year, it is obligatory, so growing the beard is fard and shaving it is a sin; because it is a contradiction of many authentic texts from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). So you, may Allah have spared you from this and you have grown this beard, but in my opinion, you are aware; because he is a student of knowledge, I felt, that you are aware that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade the Muslim to imitate the disbelievers, and especially since you live in the land of disbelief, whoever looks at you hardly knows that you are a Muslim, and the greatest dress that represents disbelief is the tie; because a person wearing a jacket, a jacket means he repels the harm of heat and cold, but this knot here that a person puts on has no benefit except wasting time in tightening it, and in the way that suits the place, and imitating the disbelievers with it. And out of the goodness of this man's heart, and we were at the iftar table in Ramadan, he immediately untied it and threw it on the ground, so he was quick to respond, but what upset me after he had pleased me greatly with what he did, he said to me: The truth is that we put on this tie because the British here look at the Palestinians with a look of insult and contempt; because they leave their shirt like this, unbuttoned, and without what? A tie. I said to him: May Allah forgive you! You are... these disbelievers are contemptuous of your Muslim brothers because of their not dressing in the dress of the disbelievers?! This—as it is said—is an excuse worse than a sin.
The point is: this good man could not help but be influenced by that environment, so this requires solid knowledge and correct upbringing, so the Muslim can never in the land of disbelief live an Islamic life, and it is very clear that the countries that have lived for fourteen centuries in the application of Islam cannot be equated with a country where Islam has settled for a quarter of a century or half a century; the issue requires a lot of time and a very long time; and therefore, in truth, we do not advise a Muslim to travel to those countries to reside, but if he travels for trade—for example—on the condition that he returns after a week, two weeks, a month, two months, etc., we have no objection to him being protected, and I mean by protection that he is raised with a correct Islamic upbringing, and that he is married as well—the required lawful marriage—so that he is not tempted there by the dispensations existing in the sale of honor by every means.
So the answer to the previous question is: we cannot say: he returns or he does not return; because each of them has a problem, so the questioner or the one responsible for him is the one who assesses the matter.