Is it permissible for one who emigrated from a country due to hardship to return to it after that hardship has ceased?

The questioner : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Before me are a number of questions, and they are varied.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : The first question says: Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings.

The Shaykh : And upon you be the mercy and blessings of Allah.

The questioner : Is it permissible for one who emigrated from his land due to hardship he faced there, or due to distress that befell him there, to return to it if that hardship has ceased?

The Shaykh : What is this question?

The questioner : The reason for his emigration? Did he emigrate, meaning?

The Shaykh : No, he is saying now, emigration!

The questioner : The wording of the question is like this!

The Shaykh : How?

The questioner : It says, for one who emigrated from his land!

Another questioner : A man emigrated from his country in a state of hardship where he could not establish his religion there, for example?

The Shaykh : He emigrated to America?

Another questioner : To a Muslim country, for example!

The Shaykh: All right.

Another questioner : Meaning, it is better than his own country.

The Shaykh: All right.

Another questioner : Then this cause ceased, the causes of the hardship ceased. Does he return to his country, or if he intended emigration, does he never return?

The Shaykh : The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) answered a question like this, if this is what is intended, by saying: . Emigration from Makkah, let alone from other lands of Islam, was obligatory to the seat of the message and prophethood and the establishment of the Muslim state, which is al-Madinah. So when Allah the Exalted opened up Makkah for His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), and He honored his army, and He helped His servant, and He humbled the disbelievers and their allies, at that time he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . It is permissible to return to any country, as long as that country is an Islamic country, even if he is in a country that is better than the country he was in before. However, the door of permissibility is open, so you may move from one Islamic country to another Islamic country. But it is not permissible for you to travel to the lands of disbelief and misguidance, such as Europe and America, as is unfortunately the custom of many young people when they are afflicted with some of the hardship I referred to in the question. They say, "We emigrated to America," until unfortunately some American countries, or all of America, are called a place of emigration. This is a reversal of the true legal facts. The true legal fact says that the American or European, whether he is French, Belgian, German, or French, if he becomes a Muslim, must emigrate from the land of disbelief to the lands of Islam. So now, due to the weakness of Muslims in faith and the weakness of Muslims in knowledge of their religion, they have reversed these legal facts. They emigrate from the land of Islam for one reason or another, political hardship or economic hardship or something similar, and they travel to the land of disbelief and misguidance, and they call it by a name other than its true name, saying, "We emigrated." This is not permissible. As for emigration from a Muslim country to a Muslim country, this is a permissible matter, especially if the cause referred to has ceased, then there is nothing wrong with that.