What is the ruling on residing in lands of disbelief?

The questioner : Is it permissible for a person to live in the lands of disbelievers, or for example, in Islamic states under the rule of disbelievers? Is it possible for a person to go from here and live there? Some people think, for example...

The Shaykh: No, it is not permissible.

The questioner : It is not permissible.

The Shaykh : This is a common error in the present age, where many Muslims leave their Islamic lands and settle in the lands of disbelief and misguidance for the sake of livelihood, sustenance, working the land, and the like. There are many hadiths on this matter, and we have spoken about them repeatedly. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade a Muslim to associate with and live alongside polytheists. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Why? Because nature is a thief; nature is a thief and a robber. The person with that nature does not realize that he is being influenced, and that his nature is stealing from the customs of the lands he lives in and resides in. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave that wonderful example regarding one who sits with a righteous person or a wicked person. He (peace be upon him) said: The example of a righteous companion is like a seller of musk: either he gives you some, or you buy from him, or you smell a pleasant fragrance from him. And the example of a wicked companion is like a blacksmith: either he burns your clothes, or you smell a foul odor from him. So the one who sits with disbelievers, at the very least, will smell a foul odor from them, even if they bathe in perfumes every day.

The questioner : Well, Shaykh, what about Muslim tribes, for example, under the rule of disbelievers, like the Soviet Union, which had Islamic peoples under it? We have people who would like to go there on the basis that communism will end, and they hope for a good livelihood there.

The Shaykh : First, when communism ends, that is not sufficient. If he wishes to return to his country, he may return, but not because it is his country, but because it is permissible for a Muslim to reside in any Islamic land. So there is no difference at that time if communism ends and the lands become Islamic lands. Naturally, we cannot imagine that if communism shrinks or is stripped from those lands, it will suddenly return to ruling by Islam; that is very far-fetched. So we say there is no harm in going to that land after the collapse of communist rule there, but he must not take that as a pre-Islamic tribal or partisan bias, thinking, "I am a compatriot there, so I want to live with them." No, he must choose the Islamic land that is better than the others, if he is able to do so. So this is the detail required regarding what you asked.

The questioner : Shaykh, I mean, he goes there in order to spread Islam there and manifest his religion...

The Shaykh : No problem, my brother, every question has an answer. First, you did not ask that; you said he wants to go there, and now you say he goes to call to Islam, as if you said he goes to America and Japan, etc., to call to Islam. So I say that the one who wants to go to America, Britain, or any land of disbelief to call to Allah, to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), must be protected. He must be protected by Islamic creed and Prophetic morals, and he must be protected by being married to a righteous woman who prevents his foot from slipping. So if he finds these conditions in himself, let him go and call to Allah. As for his fate being as we said regarding those who nominate themselves, he burns himself in the cause of others. No, start with yourself, then with those who depend on you.