The Shaykh’s response to those who forbade the emigration of the people of Palestine on the grounds that doing so would leave the land to the disbelievers.
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The Shaykh : So, if we return to the matter of emigration, it has many meanings, and very many indeed. Its meaning is not merely leaving one’s homeland, although this is obligatory in some circumstances, as we detailed earlier. Regrettably, we have read some articles published in certain magazines or newspapers that do not fear Allah (Mighty and Majestic). One of the preachers, as mentioned by one of the writers in one of the newspapers, divided emigration into three categories: obligatory, recommended, and forbidden. The forbidden emigration is leaving the land to the disbelievers.
The questioner : This is the forbidden one.
The Shaykh : This forbidden emigration is leaving the lands of Islam and abandoning them to the disbelievers; this is forbidden. Now, is there any Muslim, however ignorant, however little religion and knowledge he may have, who says to leave the land to the disbelievers? There is no Muslim on the face of the earth who says that. But if a Muslim is pursued by a disbeliever who wants to kill him, and he flees to a neighboring country, even within the same region, is it said that he left his land to the disbeliever? Glory be to Allah. Another level: what about one who did not flee from death but escaped from corruption? Is it said that he left his land to the disbeliever? And so on. Finally, do not hold me to this, but perhaps many of you, or few of you, or most of you, are originally from those lands. Did you commit a forbidden act when you left the lands? In the first instance, in the second instance, they say and babble about what they do not know. They do not distinguish between emigration from death, between physical death, and emigration from spiritual death, and so forth. To emigrate from the district about which the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said:. All these meanings, they cast them aside, while accusing those who speak of emigration with this detail, or perhaps in some gatherings there are other details, of taking only the word and hanging on it lies, slander, and misguidance. And Allah (Mighty and Majestic) will be their reckoner on the Day of Resurrection.
The questioner : This is the forbidden one.
The Shaykh : This forbidden emigration is leaving the lands of Islam and abandoning them to the disbelievers; this is forbidden. Now, is there any Muslim, however ignorant, however little religion and knowledge he may have, who says to leave the land to the disbelievers? There is no Muslim on the face of the earth who says that. But if a Muslim is pursued by a disbeliever who wants to kill him, and he flees to a neighboring country, even within the same region, is it said that he left his land to the disbeliever? Glory be to Allah. Another level: what about one who did not flee from death but escaped from corruption? Is it said that he left his land to the disbeliever? And so on. Finally, do not hold me to this, but perhaps many of you, or few of you, or most of you, are originally from those lands. Did you commit a forbidden act when you left the lands? In the first instance, in the second instance, they say and babble about what they do not know. They do not distinguish between emigration from death, between physical death, and emigration from spiritual death, and so forth. To emigrate from the district about which the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The Muslim and the mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah) do not see each other's fires.
المسلم والمشرك لا تتراءى نارهما
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.