What is the ruling on bringing in non-Muslim workers to the Arabian Peninsula and to Muslim lands, and what is the ruling on the money and interest taken from bringing them in?
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The Shaykh : Bringing in non-Muslims to this Peninsula, I say to him: prepare for the answer, the answer of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) on the Day of Resurrection, where he said: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1606Sahih (Darussalam) And he said: Sunan Abi Dawud 3029Sahih (Al-Albani) Let him know that death is near, and that this world will not remain for him, nor will he remain for this world. Let him prepare the correct answer that will save him from the punishment of Allah and that will save him from the bad consequences resulting from the increase of non-Muslims in this Peninsula. It is established in *Sahih al-Bukhari* and others: If non-Muslims increase in this Peninsula, woe to them from an evil that has drawn near, an evil for them from an evil that has drawn near, and I seek refuge in Allah, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih al-Bukhari 7059 So I say to the one who brings in these workers, even though we have no need of them, I say to them: prepare the correct answer if he is asked on the Day of Resurrection about his action and about his contradiction of the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1606Sahih (Darussalam) Sunan Abi Dawud 3029Sahih (Al-Albani) And he said: Sahih Muslim 1767a This is my answer to the one who brings them in. As for what he earns from his work, if it is forbidden, I answer him with the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): Sahih Ibn Hibban 26:35 So every forbidden eye and every forbidden benefit, its compensation is forbidden by this principle established by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): Sahih Ibn Hibban 26:35 As for the one who says that the polytheists or the non-Muslims are more sincere than the Muslims, I answer him with the saying of the Lord of the Worlds: [Al-Baqarah 2:221] [Al-Baqarah 2:221] If his muscles are strong and his body is robust, let him answer regarding this verse: [Al-Baqarah 2:221] And it is strange that some people bring in workers who can do the same work that Muslims can do, meaning the work they bring them for is not a work that Muslims cannot do well, but it is easy work that both Muslims and non-Muslims can do well. Then they choose the non-Muslim over the Muslim. The least of the harm in bringing non-Muslims to the lands is that the jealousy that was in the hearts of the believers first, and the awe of sheltering non-Muslims and being loyal to them and loving them, has been lost, except what Allah wills, until some people think that they are our brothers, indeed they call them brothers, "Brother So-and-so." Glory be to Allah, faith has been stripped from your heart until you made the enemy of Allah your brother. We ask Allah for safety. But how do we solve this problem we have fallen into, as the questioner said? First, it is obligatory upon us to call these people to Islam and not to despair of their Islam. But I have heard something that saddens the heart. I have heard that some of the guarantors, may Allah forgive them and guide them, when they see a caller calling their workers to Islam, they prevent him and say, "Do not spoil them for us." I seek refuge in Allah. No one says that if a non-Muslim becomes a Muslim, he is spoiled, except one whom Allah has spoiled his heart and blinded his insight. And we know that our brothers who became Muslims from these workers became much more sincere than they were before, and perhaps the Shaykh, Brother Mahmoud, knows about that. They became more sincere, more skilled in work, and better in character, and this is what is fitting for a Muslim. [Al-Baqarah 2:221] We ask Allah the Exalted to guide us all to His straight path.
