Q: Can you share about instructions to Muslims on migration to different places when they are facing difficulties.
A:
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
What a profound and timeless topic. The concept of Hijrah (هجرة — migration/emigration) is one of the most richly developed themes in both the Quran and the Sunnah. Here is a comprehensive overview:
🕌 The Concept of Hijrah in Islam
- The Quranic Foundation
The Quran addresses migration in several key passages. The most foundational is Surah An-Nisa (4:97–100), where Allah questions those who remain in a place of oppression when they had the means to migrate:
“Were not the earth of Allah spacious enough for you to migrate therein?”
Two great promises are made to the Muhajirin in the Quran: to give them a good place in this world, and to bless them with the greater reward of the Hereafter which is limitless. The expression “a good place in the world” is comprehensive — it includes good residence, good neighbors, extended means of living, supremacy over hostile enemies, and honor continuing through family and progeny.
Surah An-Nahl (16:41) — which you know so well from your ongoing study — also directly addresses this:
“And those who migrated for the cause of Allah after having been wronged — We will surely settle them in a good place in this world; and the reward of the Hereafter is greater, if only they could know.”
- The Historical Model: The Prophet’s ﷺ Hijrah
When the persecution of the people of Makkah against the Muslims grew intense, Allah commanded the Prophet ﷺ to migrate to Madinah so that they could establish the religion of Allah in a land where they could worship Him freely.
The Hijrah marks the beginning of a new chapter for the Muslim community, as they were now able to practice their faith freely and openly. It also marked the start of the Islamic calendar — the Hijri calendar — highlighting the immense significance of this event.
An important lesson from the Hijrah is tawakkul (reliance on Allah). When Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه said to the Prophet ﷺ in the cave, “If any one of them looks down at his feet, he will see us,” the Prophet replied: “What do you think, O Abu Bakr, of two people of whom Allah is the third?” — a model of unshakeable trust in Allah during danger.
- The Fiqh of Hijrah — When Is It Obligatory?
Classical scholars developed detailed rulings:
If someone is not free to hold on to Islam in a city or country, and is constrained to act against its teachings or follow non-Islamic rites, then it becomes obligatory (fard) to migrate to a place where one can follow and practice Islam — provided one has the means to do so. However, if one does not have the means to travel or there is no place available to practice religious obligations, then one is “excused” in the religious term.
In the Shafi’i madhab, the position is: “If someone is not able to openly show his deen and has the ability to make Hijrah, then Hijrah becomes obligatory upon him” — based on the verse 4:97.
The Prophet ﷺ also said, as recorded in Musnad Ahmad:
“اَلبِلَادُ بِلَادُ اللهِ وَالعِبَادُ عِبَادُ اللهِ، حَيثُمَا أَصَبتَ خَيرًا فَأَقِم”
“The lands belong to Allah and the servants belong to Allah — wherever you find goodness, settle there.”
- The Spiritual Dimension — Not Just Physical
In a hadith from al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet ﷺ said: “Al-Muhajir is the one who abandons what Allah has forbidden.” This means the truest Hijrah is a spiritual one — migrating away from sin and disobedience.
In another hadith in Sahih Bukhari: “Actions are judged by intentions — thus, he whose migration was for Allah and His Messenger, his migration was for Allah and His Messenger.” This underlines that the intention behind Hijrah must be solely for the sake of Allah.
- The Warning Against Spiritual Regression After Migration
Classical jurists warned against at-ta’arrub ba’d al-hijra — “becoming estranged from one’s faith after migrating” — which they defined as moving from a place where one could fulfill Islamic obligations to a place where one is prone to abandoning them. This was considered among the major sins.
- The Bond of Brotherhood in Migration
Upon arriving in Madinah, the Prophet ﷺ established a bond of brotherhood between the Muhajirun (migrants) and the Ansar (helpers). This spirit of mutual support is a cornerstone of Islamic community-building, encouraging Muslims to help one another in times of difficulty.
Summary of Key Principles Situation Ruling Cannot practice Islam; has means to migrate Wajib (obligatory) Cannot practice Islam; no means Excused Can practice Islam, but environment is morally harmful Mustahabb (recommended) Migration for worldly gain alone Not counted as Hijrah in its sacred sense Spiritual migration — leaving what Allah forbids Always obligatory for every Muslim
This topic has beautiful resonance with Surah An-Nahl (16:41) you have been studying, where Allah directly promises those who were wronged and then migrated a beautiful settlement in this world and an even greater reward in the Hereafter. The honeybee’s divinely guided journey and the Muhajir’s faith-driven journey both reflect the same Quranic wisdom — that when you move in obedience to Allah’s guidance, He provides, protects, and honors.
والله أعلم. Would you like to explore any particular aspect further — the fiqh rulings, specific Quranic verses, or the historical Hijrahs to Abyssinia and Madinah?
Q: Interesting debate….knowingly the values of the country are not right( current citizens by birth, by naturalization in USA , uk etc ), past was colonialism, present neocolonialism with full of harms inflicted on their victims then what decisions to be made. Leave the country? Work around in participating elections? Prophet sas himself migrated to Medina due to atrocities. May Allah give Muslims vision, strength to make right choices in these difficult days . Are Muslims debating on this issues, any guidelines from Quran , Sunnah and ijma?
A:
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
آمين يا رب العالمين — May Allah indeed grant Muslims clarity of vision and strength in these confusing times. Your question touches one of the most debated and genuinely unresolved issues in contemporary Islamic jurisprudence. Let me lay it out comprehensively and honestly.
🌍 The Central Tension Muslims Face
The question has multiple layers:
Layer 1 — Moral-historical: Can a Muslim in good conscience remain a citizen of states whose foreign policy perpetuates colonialism, bombs Muslim countries, and supports occupations?
Layer 2 — Fiqhi: What do Quran, Sunnah, and scholarly consensus (ijma) say about living in such lands?
Layer 3 — Strategic: If you stay, do you disengage, vote, run for office, or build parallel institutions?
📖 Quranic & Prophetic Framework
The Surah An-Nahl connection (16:41) — which you are presently studying — is directly relevant. Allah promises those who migrate after being wronged both worldly settlement and Akhirah reward. But notice the condition: it is those who were personally wronged and forced out, not those who simply disagree with a government’s foreign policy.
Surah An-Nisa (4:97-100) asks: “Was not the earth of Allah spacious enough for you to migrate?” — but scholars are careful to note this was specific to Makkah under open persecution of Muslims’ own faith practice.
The Prophetic model: The Prophet ﷺ himself migrated not because Makkah was economically unjust to others — but because Muslims could not practice Islam freely. This is the classical criterion.
⚖️ The Scholarly Debate — Fiqh al-Aqalliyyat (فقه الأقليات)
This is where the active, living debate in Islamic scholarship is happening today.
A contemporary internal debate has emerged among Muslim minorities living in Western Europe and North America to establish a specific form of Islamic jurisprudence — Fiqh al-Aqalliyyat — which attempts to strike a balance between Muslims’ religious commitments and their civic identity as citizens in Western liberal states. The two main architects of this legal development are Shaykh Yusuf al-Qaradawi and Taha Jabir al-Alwani.
The Three Major Scholarly Positions:
Position 1 — Hijrah is wajib (obligatory)
Some scholars argue that Muslims in the West should migrate to Muslim-majority lands. Imam Al-Albani held it to be wajib for Muslims to leave Western countries, arguing that Western governments restrict Islamic practice through legal apparatus, preventing Muslims from speaking freely about their religious beliefs and ’aqeedah.
Position 2 — Engagement is obligatory (Fiqh al-Aqalliyyat school)
The Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America, the European Council for Fatwa and Research, and the Islamic Fiqh Council of the Muslim World League all stress that political participation is legitimate — and may even be a duty — when it prevents clear harm to Muslims and serves their legitimate interests, provided it is subject to Islamic values and supervised by scholars.
Position 3 — Case by case, governed by Maslaha
Political participation by Muslims in non-Muslim countries involves a mixture of benefit and harm. The fatwa regarding participation changes according to time, place, and conditions — it may be obligatory when it prevents clear harm, or forbidden when the harm resulting from it clearly outweighs benefit.
🗳️ On Voting & Political Participation Specifically
Among the benefits of political participation: it allows positive contribution to solving societal problems from an Islamic perspective, shows Islam in its true nature, contributes to protecting the rights of Muslims outside the Muslim world, and supports fair demands of the Muslim community. On the negative side, it may require attending sessions involving violations of Islamic rules, and may lead to division within the Muslim community or to compromises not counterbalanced by clear benefits. 
The key condition scholars emphasize: A Muslim who participates in politics should intend such participation to serve the interests of Muslims and prevent harm from being inflicted on them, and should be convinced that participation is more likely to bring about positive results. 
🏛️ The Colonialism Question — Is It Being Addressed?
This is where the debate becomes more charged. Some observations:
Al-Qaradawi’s school — argued that Muslims in the West are not just passive residents but a dawah presence, an opportunity to witness for Islam in the heart of powerful civilizations. Their staying is not moral compromise but strategic mission.
The critique (shared by scholars like Imam Al-Albani and others) — argues that the psychological, spiritual, and generational cost of living in societies whose values fundamentally conflict with Islamic ones is too high, regardless of civic participation rights.
On neo-colonialism specifically — many Muslim scholars argue that traditional Islamic notions such as shura (consultation), maslaha (public interest), and ’adl (justice) justify representative government institutions that reflect Islamic rather than Western liberal values.  The argument becomes: use democratic tools to push justice from within.
🌿 Quranic Wisdom for the Individual Muslim
The Quran offers a profound principle in Surah Al-Ankabut (29:56):
يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّ أَرْضِي وَاسِعَةٌ فَاعْبُدُونِ
“O My servants who have believed — indeed My earth is spacious, so worship only Me.”
And the hadith you will recognize:
“اَلبِلَادُ بِلَادُ اللهِ وَالعِبَادُ عِبَادُ اللهِ، حَيثُمَا أَصَبتَ خَيرًا فَأَقِم”
“The lands belong to Allah and the servants belong to Allah — wherever you find goodness, settle there.”
📊 Summary of Positions School Position Key Scholar(s) Classical Hijrah Leave if deen is compromised Al-Albani, Ibn Baz (earlier position) Fiqh al-Aqalliyyat Stay, engage, participate Al-Qaradawi, Al-Alwani Maslaha-based Contextual — weigh harm vs. benefit Ibn Bayyah, European Council for Fatwa Dawah approach Stay as witnesses and callers to Islam Many contemporary scholars
💭 A Reflective Observation
The Prophet ﷺ migrated to Madinah not because Rome was oppressing Persians, but because he and his Companions could not pray, could not recite Quran, could not say La ilaha illa Allah openly. That specific trigger — personal freedom to practice deen — remains the classical criterion for wajib Hijrah.
The moral burden of a state’s foreign policy is a real and serious question, but most classical scholars distinguish between personally being oppressed in one’s deen vs. living in a powerful state that does injustice globally. The latter, tragically, applies to Muslims living in Muslim-majority states too — many of whose governments are equally complicit in colonial-era systems.
The deeper Quranic lesson may be in Surah An-Nahl (16:90):
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَيَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ
“Indeed, Allah commands justice, excellence, and giving to relatives — and He forbids immorality, wrongdoing, and oppression.”
Wherever a Muslim is — the obligation of standing for ’adl does not change.
والله أعلم. This debate continues actively in Islamic scholarly circles. Would you like to explore the thought of any particular scholar — Al-Qaradawi, Al-Alwani, Ibn Bayyah, or others — in more depth on this question?
Q: The questions comes to mind… migrate where? Muslim countries where there may not be open policies to take migrants, they are more oppressive than western countries in matters of freedoms of speech, expressions etc and non Islamic countries where there is open opposition to Islam and Muslims even to those who have been living there for generations.. a dilemma……
A:
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
You have put your finger on precisely the most painful and honest dimension of this entire debate. It is not a theoretical dilemma — it is the lived reality of hundreds of millions of Muslims today. Let me engage with it seriously.
😔 The Brutal Honest Reality
“Migrate where?” — This question alone exposes the limitation of simply applying classical Hijrah rulings to the modern world.
The Muslim-majority countries problem:
The classical destination for Hijrah was Dar al-Islam — a land where Shariah governs and Muslims can practice freely. But today:
∙ Saudi Arabia — closed to mass Muslim immigration; treats migrant workers (many Muslim) with documented exploitation
∙ Gulf states — wealthy but with strict kafala systems that essentially enslave foreign Muslim workers
∙ Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt — themselves struggling with poverty, authoritarianism, and suppression of dissent
∙ Turkey — hosts the world’s largest refugee population but faces its own political pressures
∙ Iran — sectarian governance that excludes Sunni Muslims from full civic life
∙ Syria, Libya, Yemen, Afghanistan — actively destroyed, largely by forces backed by the very Western states Muslims are debating leaving
The painful irony: many Muslims fled from Muslim-majority countries to Western countries precisely because of oppression at home.
The Quranic acknowledgment of this reality:
Allah ﷻ already anticipated this in Surah An-Nisa (4:75):
وَمَا لَكُمْ لَا تُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَالْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ وَالنِّسَاءِ وَالْوِلْدَانِ الَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا أَخْرِجْنَا مِنْ هَٰذِهِ الْقَرْيَةِ الظَّالِمِ أَهْلُهَا وَاجْعَل لَّنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ وَلِيًّا وَاجْعَل لَّنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ نَصِيرًا
“And what is wrong with you that you do not fight in the cause of Allah and for the oppressed — men, women, and children — who cry: ‘Our Lord! Rescue us from this town whose people are oppressors, and appoint for us from Yourself a protector, and appoint for us from Yourself a helper.’”
Notice: they are crying to Allah for a deliverer — not migrating somewhere. Because there is nowhere to go.
🔑 The Deeper Fiqhi Insight: The Condition Changed
Classical scholars built Hijrah rulings assuming there exists a functioning Dar al-Islam to migrate to. Contemporary scholars like Shaykh Taha Jabir al-Alwani and Shaykh Abdullah bin Bayyah argue honestly:
The classical binary of Dar al-Islam vs. Dar al-Kufr has broken down. The world has changed structurally. The fiqhi tools must evolve.
Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله actually identified not two but four categories of lands — showing even classical scholars recognized the world is more complex than a simple binary.
🌿 What the Quran Actually Offers for This Dilemma
Rather than a migration answer, the Quran offers a positioning answer. Three profound principles:
- Istid’af to Tamkeen — Weakness to Establishment
The Quran in Surah Al-Qasas (28:5) says:
وَنُرِيدُ أَن نَّمُنَّ عَلَى الَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَنَجْعَلَهُمْ أَئِمَّةً وَنَجْعَلَهُمْ الْوَارِثِينَ
“And We wished to confer favor upon those who were oppressed in the land and make them leaders and make them inheritors.”
The mustadh’afeen — the oppressed — are not told to find perfect geography. They are told Allah will raise them from within their condition.
- Shahadah ’ala al-Nas — Witness Before Mankind
Surah Al-Baqarah (2:143):
وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا لِّتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ
“And thus We have made you a median community that you will be witnesses over the people.”
This wasatiyyah (balanced witness) role cannot be fulfilled by withdrawing from the world. Muslim presence in Western societies carries a dawah and moral witness dimension that many scholars argue is itself an obligation.
- La Yukallifu Allah Nafsan Illa Wus’aha
Surah Al-Baqarah (2:286):
“Allah does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear.”
When there is genuinely no viable place to migrate — no accessible Dar al-Islam, no welcoming Muslim land — the obligation of Hijrah is lifted. This is classical fiqh itself: inability removes the obligation.
💡 So What Is The Realistic Path? Emerging Scholarly Consensus
Rather than Hijrah out, contemporary scholars are increasingly pointing toward what might be called Hijrah within — a transformation of presence: Strategy Description Institutional building Schools, mosques, halal economies, Muslim civic organizations Political participation with Islamic intent Vote and engage for justice — not tribal loyalty to any party Dawah through excellence Be the moral example that challenges the West’s own stated values Transnational Ummah solidarity Use democratic freedoms to advocate loudly for Palestine, Kashmir, Uyghurs Spiritual Hijrah The Prophet’s ﷺ hadith — migrate away from what Allah has forbidden — internally
🤲 The Prophetic Parallel You Raised
Yes — the Prophet ﷺ migrated to Madinah. But consider:
∙ Before Hijrah, he spent 13 years in Makkah — enduring, building, witnessing, calling
∙ The first Hijrah was to Abyssinia — a Christian king’s non-Muslim land — because Najashi was just
∙ Even in Madinah, the Prophet ﷺ made treaties with non-Muslims, governed a pluralistic city-state, and engaged politically
This suggests the Prophetic model is not flee injustice but rather: exhaust every avenue of witness, endurance, and engagement — and when physically persecuted beyond bearing, then seek safety wherever justice exists.
🔮 The Honest Conclusion
The dilemma you have described — nowhere to go — is itself a sign of the broader crisis of the Ummah. It is not a personal failure of individual Muslims. It reflects:
∙ The political collapse of Muslim-majority states (many engineered from outside)
∙ The erosion of the classical Dar al-Islam as a functioning concept
∙ The rise of a global system in which no geography is truly outside Western economic and political dominance
Perhaps the most honest thing the Quran says to this moment is in Surah Az-Zumar (39:10):
إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى الصَّابِرُونَ أَجْرَهُم بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ
“Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without account.”
And in Surah Ash-Sharh (94:5-6):
فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا — إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا
“Indeed, with hardship comes ease. Indeed, with hardship comes ease.”
The repetition is deliberate — one hardship, two openings of ease. The Ummah’s situation, as dark as it appears, is not outside Allah’s plan or promise.
اللهم أرنا الحق حقاً وارزقنا اتباعه، وأرنا الباطل باطلاً وارزقنا اجتنابه
“O Allah, show us truth as truth and grant us the following of it, and show us falsehood as falsehood and grant us the avoidance of it.”
Would you like to go deeper into any strand — the fiqh of Dar al-Islam in the modern world, the Abyssinian Hijrah model, or the scholars building the case for engaged Muslim citizenship?
Q: Please share fiqh of 1. Dar al Islam in modern world, 2. Abyssinian Hijra model and the scholars building the case for engaged citizenship. I have great appreciation for the work you are doing. May Allah bless you in abundance and protect the efforts in this regards
جزاكم الله خيراً — your du’a is deeply appreciated, and may Allah accept from all of us.
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
This is a genuinely rich intellectual terrain — let me give each of the three areas the depth it deserves.
PART ONE: Fiqh of Dar al-Islam in the Modern World
📚 The Classical Foundation — What the Terms Actually Mean
A crucial preliminary fact that many overlook: the concepts of Dar al-Islam and Dar al-Harb do not appear in the Quran or the Hadith. According to some scholars, the term “abode of war” was simply a description of the harsh reality of the pre-modern world.  They were ijtihadi constructs by the fuqaha, not divine revelation — and what scholars built, scholars can revisit.
The classical definition crystallized as: scholars generally agreed a territory is termed Dar al-Islam where control and sovereignty belongs to Muslims and the Shariah was implemented. 
Imam Abu Hanifa رحمه الله, the founder of the Hanafi school, added important nuance — specifying that Dar al-Islam becomes Dar al-Kufr only in three simultaneous conditions: when the law becomes Kufr, when the state borders a non-Muslim state without treaty, and when there is no longer security for the Muslim or dhimmi citizen. All three conditions together — not just one.
🔄 The Three Schools of Contemporary Thought
Contemporary scholars have divided into three major camps on this question. The traditionalists maintain that any non-Muslim domain remains Dar al-Kufr, and Muslims living there are under obligation to practice jihad or emigrate — among them Ibn Baz and al-Buti. The contractualists argue that Western countries which provide protection and freedom to practice Islam have legitimized Muslim existence there and require guidance rather than condemnation — among them al-Qaradawi and Ibn Bayyah. The reformers regard the concepts of Dar al-Islam and Dar al-Harb as “plainly anachronistic” — merely a fiqhi interpretation that had its historical context but is not infallible — among them Taha Jabir al-Alwani and Jasser Auda. 
🌐 The Reformist Revolution: Dar al-Aman
A basic legal maxim in Islamic law is “لا ينكر تغير الأحكام بتغير الزمان” — do not reject the changing of rulings by the changing of times. According to those who have revisited these divisions, Dar al-Harb/Kufr is a title that can only be given to a country which is openly hostile towards Muslims and persecutes Muslims for their faith, disallowing them from practicing their religion. 
This gives rise to a third category gaining wide acceptance:
Today, a majority of countries fall under the category of Dar al-Aman — the Abode of Security — because much of the world has peaceful relations with Muslims, allowing them to migrate, reside there, and practice their faith. In Dar al-Aman, all residents, both Muslim and non-Muslim, become a Mu’ahid — people of a treaty. The Prophet ﷺ himself said: “Whoever kills a Mu’ahid, he will never smell the fragrance of Paradise.” [Bukhari] 
💔 The Devastating Modern Paradox
Perhaps the most honest scholarly observation is this: some contemporary scholars argue that all lands today are effectively Dar al-Kufr — because even Muslim-majority states do not implement Islamic governance — making the classical binary operationally meaningless in either direction.  This means the dilemma you raised — “migrate where?” — is itself the collapse of the classical framework, not a personal failure to find the answer.
Wahbah al-Zuhayli, one of the most respected contemporary fuqaha, argues that the concept of Dar al-Harb is mostly historical: “The existence of Dar al-Islam and Dar al-Harb in contemporary times is rare or extremely limited.” 
PART TWO: The Abyssinian Hijrah Model — The Most Underused Precedent
📖 What Happened
In the fifth year of Prophethood, persecution of the early Muslim community in Makkah had reached sustained and organized violence. Those without powerful tribal protection faced torture, economic exclusion, and in some cases death. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ did not respond with retaliation. He responded by protecting lives. He instructed a group of believers to cross the Red Sea and seek refuge in a Christian kingdom — al-Habasha. 
The Prophet’s ﷺ words describing his choice of destination are remarkable and carry enormous fiqhi weight:
“If you were to go to Abyssinia, it would be better for you, for the king will not tolerate injustice and it is a friendly country, until such time as Allah shall relieve you from your distress.” 
Notice: the Prophet ﷺ chose the destination based on the character of the ruler and the justice of the land — not on the religion of the state. This is the heart of the Abyssinian model.
🏛️ What the Najashi Represents Jurisprudentially
Najashi was a devout Christian scholar, loved by his people. When the Muslims arrived, he welcomed them saying: “You are safe to practice your religion here, and you will suffer no injustice or be made to feel like foreigners.” 
The fiqhi implications are profound:
First — The Prophet ﷺ deliberately sent Muslims to a Christian, non-Muslim state rather than have them remain in oppression in a territory where Arab customs dominated. Religion of the state was not the decisive criterion — justice was.
Second — The Muslims in Abyssinia, as described by Umm Salamah رضي الله عنها, lived in safety: “We were living in safety, we practiced Islam without being harmed, we did not hear anything back from our neighbors.”  A non-Muslim state that grants full religious freedom to Muslims is — functionally — serving the purpose of Dar al-Islam for those Muslims.
Third — Though Najashi never met the Prophet ﷺ, never learned the detailed rulings of the religion, and lived away from the Muslim community, he was so righteous that Allah sent Jibreel to inform the Prophet ﷺ of his death — leading to a Salat al-Janazah in his absence. This is the only time the Prophet ﷺ performed Salat al-Ghaib, the funeral prayer for someone not physically present.  Allah honored a non-Muslim just ruler in this extraordinary way — a profound statement about divine values.
🔑 Europe as the “New Abyssinia” — The Contemporary Scholarly Argument
Since the mid-1980s, Muslim jurists and theologians discussing Muslim minorities in Western countries have introduced analogies between present realities and the First Hijrah to Christian Abyssinia. A number of participants in the Fiqh al-Aqalliyyat field have built their entire framework on this precedent. 
Classical Islamic jurisprudence already contains many powerful resources for justifying moral commitment to a non-Muslim society, and even conservative, classically-minded Islamic scholars are engaged in theorizing principled moral obligation to non-Muslims and non-Islamic polities — precisely because of the Abyssinian model. 
The argument runs: if the Prophet ﷺ blessed and endorsed migration to a Christian kingdom ruled by a just non-Muslim king, the principle for Muslims living in Western democracies that protect their religious freedom is already established in Sunnah.
PART THREE: Scholars Building the Case for Engaged Muslim Citizenship
- 🌟 Shaykh Yusuf al-Qaradawi رحمه الله (1926–2022)
The most influential architect of Fiqh al-Aqalliyyat. His central argument:
∙ Muslims in the West are not a problem to be solved by emigration but a dawah opportunity of historic proportion
∙ The West’s own stated values — freedom, justice, human rights — are closer to Islamic maqasid than the practices of many Muslim-majority governments
∙ Political participation is not just permissible but obligatory when it serves Muslim interests and prevents harm
∙ He coined the concept of Dar al-Dawah — the Abode of Calling — to describe Western countries: not enemy territory but a field for Islamic witness
- 🌟 Shaykh Taha Jabir al-Alwani رحمه الله (1935–2016)
Founder of the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), Washington DC. His contribution:
∙ Argued the Dar al-Islam/Dar al-Harb binary must be entirely abandoned as a juristic category for the modern world
∙ Developed the concept of Dar al-Shahada — the Abode of Witness — where Muslims serve as moral witnesses to humanity in their host societies
∙ Muslims in America specifically have a unique role: influencing the most powerful country on earth from within, toward justice for the global Ummah
∙ His framework explicitly addressed the neo-colonial question you raised: Muslim citizens in the West have more leverage to challenge unjust foreign policies than Muslims abroad
- 🌟 Shaykh Abdullah Ibn Bayyah (b. 1935)
Mauritanian scholar, former Vice President of the International Union of Muslim Scholars. His contribution:
∙ Developed the concept of Fiqh al-Muwatanah — Jurisprudence of Citizenship — arguing that citizenship itself is an Islamic contract of mutual rights and obligations
∙ A Muslim citizen has genuine loyalty obligations to their country — and those obligations are Islamically valid, not a compromise of faith
∙ He repositioned the relationship between Muslims and the state, viewing civic participation as equivalent to fulfilling a legitimate Islamic obligation
∙ He argues that Muslims working within democratic systems for justice are performing amr bil ma’ruf (enjoining good) at civilizational scale
- 🌟 Dr. Jasser Auda (b. 1966)
Contemporary scholar, developer of Maqasid al-Shariah (Objectives of Islamic Law) approach:
∙ Argues that the higher objectives of Shariah — preservation of life, intellect, lineage, wealth, and religion — are better served through engaged citizenship in open societies than through withdrawal
∙ Democratic participation is evaluated not by its form but by whether it advances these maqasid
∙ His framework directly addresses your colonialism concern: Muslims should use political voice to challenge both Western foreign policy AND Muslim-majority government authoritarianism
- 🌟 Imam Zaid Shakir & Shaykh Hamza Yusuf (American context)
∙ Developed the case for Muslims as a moral conscience within American democracy — using the language and mechanisms of the civil rights tradition
∙ Drew parallels between African-American struggle for justice and Muslim struggle for dignity and voice
∙ Argued that withdrawal from politics is itself a political act — one that abandons the field to those hostile to Muslim interests
🔮 Synthesis: What These Three Areas Together Teach Question Answer from Scholarship Is the Dar al-Islam/Dar al-Harb binary still valid? No — nearly all contemporary scholars agree it needs replacement What replaces it? Dar al-Aman, Dar al-Ahd, Dar al-Dawah, Dar al-Shahada — contextual categories Does the Abyssinian model authorize living in non-Muslim lands? Yes — it is the clearest Prophetic precedent What is the condition? Justice and freedom of religious practice — not the state’s religion Can Muslims be loyal citizens and good Muslims simultaneously? Yes — Ibn Bayyah’s Fiqh al-Muwatanah establishes this directly Is political participation permitted? Yes — endorsed by AMJA, ECFR, and Muslim World League Fiqh Council What about neo-colonialism? Muslim citizens in Western democracies have unique leverage to challenge it from within
🤲 A Final Reflection
The Prophet ﷺ chose Najashi’s land not because it was perfect, not because its foreign policy was Islamic, not because its society shared Muslim values — but because it offered justice and safety for the practice of deen. That criterion — justice and freedom of worship — remains the Prophetic standard today.
The broader moral struggle against colonialism and neo-colonialism is itself an Islamic obligation — Surah An-Nisa (4:135):
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ بِالْقِسْطِ شُهَدَاءَ لِلَّهِ
“O you who believe! Be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah.”
This ayah does not say “stand for justice only in Muslim lands.” It is a universal command. The Muslim citizen in Washington, London, or Toronto who votes, advocates, protests, and witnesses for justice against oppressive foreign policy is — in this reading — fulfilling a Quranic obligation, not compromising one.
اللهم أرنا الحق حقاً وارزقنا اتباعه
O Allah, show us truth as truth and grant us the following of it.
Would you like me to go deeper into any one scholar’s framework — particularly al-Alwani’s Dar al-Shahada concept or Ibn Bayyah’s Fiqh al-Muwatanah, which seem most directly relevant to your question?
Q:
There have been these issues since time of prophet Mohammed sas. Muslims are 1. Those who adapted Islamic faith2. By birth 3. Muslims who migrated to new places/ countries for trade, educational purposes, spousal situations, forced migration etc . It becomes difficult to adjust and justify to remain loyal to faith, not to go against local requirements, face bitter challenges due to phobia, hatred and they can’t vouch for Islamic values specially if they migrated from Muslim countries. Muslims are questioned about their migration due to values of host countries and their loyalties towards their values of faith . Any more input in this regards . Should Muslims abandon their faith? Was it done by Christians in similar situations ? Was it demanded by host countries to Christian’s? Muslims and Christians can be compared as both have identical situations due to spread of Islam and Christianity.
A:
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
What a profound and layered question — touching history, psychology, theology, and comparative religion all at once. Let me engage it fully.
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Your question cuts to the heart of one of the most universal human experiences — the struggle to preserve faith and identity under pressure in a foreign land. Let me address this comprehensively across all its dimensions.
THE UNIVERSAL HUMAN EXPERIENCE OF THE MIGRANT OF FAITH
🌍 It Has Always Been This Way — Since the Dawn of Prophethood
The experience you describe — loyalty questioned, faith challenged, identity under pressure — is not a modern Muslim problem. It is the oldest human story of believers in diaspora. It began before Islam.
The Quran acknowledges this directly. The Prophets themselves were migrants of faith:
∙ Ibrahim عليه السلام — left his homeland, his father, his civilization, saying: إِنِّي ذَاهِبٌ إِلَىٰ رَبِّي “Indeed, I am going to my Lord” (37:99)
∙ Musa عليه السلام — fled Egypt as a fugitive, lived as a stranger in Madyan for years
∙ Isa عليه السلام — his early followers were scattered across the known world, carrying their faith under Roman occupation
∙ Muhammad ﷺ — himself a refugee, persecuted, eventually an exile
The Quran frames this not as tragedy but as the condition of the believer:
أَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ أَن يُتْرَكُوا أَن يَقُولُوا آمَنَّا وَهُمْ لَا يُفْتَنُونَ
“Do people think they will be left alone because they say ‘We believe’ without being tested?” (Al-Ankabut 29:2)
PART ONE: The Three Categories of Muslims in Diaspora — Their Unique Challenges
You identified these categories with precision. Each carries its own fiqhi and psychological dimension.
- 🕌 Converts to Islam in Non-Muslim Societies
These are perhaps the most spiritually exposed. They often:
∙ Face rejection from their own families and communities
∙ Have no inherited cultural framework to support the practice of Islam
∙ Must build Islamic identity from scratch in an environment not designed for it
∙ Face a painful double outsider status — no longer belonging to their birth culture, not fully accepted by ethnic Muslim communities
The Quranic model for them is the Companions who accepted Islam in Makkah — they converted in the belly of the hostile environment itself and endured precisely this double alienation. The Prophet ﷺ wept for Bilal رضي الله عنه precisely because he had no tribe to protect him.
- 👶 Muslims by Birth in Non-Muslim Countries
The second and third generation face the sharpest identity tension. They:
∙ Are products of two worlds but feel they belong fully to neither
∙ Are questioned about their “true loyalties” as if being Muslim and being American/British/French is inherently contradictory
∙ Face pressure to perform belonging — to prove they are “one of us”
∙ Often know less classical Islamic knowledge than their parents, making them vulnerable to either extremism or drift
This is precisely the category that classical scholars warned about with at-ta’arrub ba’d al-hijra — the fear that roots would wither across generations.
- ✈️ Migrants for Trade, Education, Marriage, Forced Displacement
Over two thousand years along the Silk Road, traders who used these routes regularly built shrines and temples of their own faiths wherever they went, in order to maintain their own beliefs and practices while far from home. Religious belief is often one of the most important and deeply held aspects of personal identity, and people are reluctant to go where they cannot practice their own faith.
This is the universal migrant experience — bringing faith as luggage. Muslim traders carried Islam to Indonesia, West Africa, and East Africa not through armies but through this exact mechanism: the faithful merchant who prayed five times, fasted in Ramadan, and whose conduct became the dawah.
PART TWO: The Christian Parallel — A Direct and Honest Comparison
Your instinct to compare is historically profound. The parallel is almost exact — and deeply instructive.
🍀 The Irish Catholic Experience in America — The Most Striking Mirror
One of the primary reasons behind nativism against the Irish was their religious affiliation. The majority of Americans at the time were Protestants, and they viewed the Catholicism of the Irish immigrants with suspicion and skepticism. The hierarchical structure of the Catholic Church, the allegiance to the Pope, and the traditions associated with Catholicism were perceived as conflicting with the Protestant values that shaped American society. 
Read those words again — replace “Catholicism” with “Islam” and “the Pope” with “Mecca” — and you have the exact discourse Muslims face today.
Anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic sentiments produced the nativist American Party which committed to “elect to all offices of Honor, Profit, or Trust, no one but native-born citizens of America — to the exclusion of all Foreigners, and to all Roman Catholics, whether of native or foreign birth.” 
This was literally institutionalized discrimination — Irish Catholics excluded from civic life for being Catholic — in the 1850s, two centuries after they arrived.
Signs reading “No Irish Need Apply” were not uncommon in job postings, reflecting the extent of discrimination faced by the Irish in their quest for employment. Irish immigrants were often confined to overcrowded and unsanitary living conditions in urban slums, as landlords refused to rent to Irish tenants. 
Housing discrimination, employment discrimination, mob violence, burning of churches — in 1844 in Philadelphia, mobs set fire to Catholic churches and immigrant homes, killing 13 people. In Louisville in 1855, American Party members attacked Irish Catholics at polling stations and set immigrant homes ablaze. 
The Critical Question You Asked: Were Irish Catholics Told to Abandon Their Faith?
Hostility increased towards the Irish over the centuries as they steadfastly remained Roman Catholic despite the fact that Edward VI and subsequent rulers used coercion to convert them to Protestantism. Irish Catholics lost many rights concerning land, inheritance, and voting under the Penal Laws — specifically because they refused to renounce Catholicism. 
Yes — there was absolutely official, state-sponsored pressure on Catholics to abandon or at minimum privatize their faith. It was demanded by the British Empire in Ireland. It was demanded implicitly by American Protestant society.
And the Irish Catholic response? Despite experiencing discrimination on account of their religion and culture, the Catholic Irish gradually gained acceptance in American society — not by abandoning their faith but by engaging politically. They used the American political system to their advantage, especially in Irish-dominated cities such as Boston, New York, and Chicago. 
They built parishes, schools, hospitals, political machines — they organized their faith community as a civic force. And a century later, John F. Kennedy became the first Catholic President. In 1960, then Presidential candidate Kennedy addressed the swirling controversy about the influence of his faith on his actions and ideas  — he did not abandon his Catholicism, he defended it publicly while affirming his American identity.
🌐 The Broader Christian Diaspora Pattern
The spread of Christianity followed in the tracks of empire, trade, and colonization. Some churches served the interests of colonizing powers, while others, influenced by diverse indigenous cultures and identities, opposed imperialism. 
Christians constitute a greater share of migrants — one in two — than they do the general population. Immigrants generally do not leave their faith behind; it travels with them and impacts their destinations. In the process, the faith of migrants often undergoes changes in belief, and migrant communities significantly alter the religious landscapes of the countries in which they settle. 
This is the universal pattern: faith travels with the believer. It adapts in expression but does not dissolve. The Vietnamese Catholic in California, the Nigerian Pentecostal in London, the Filipino missionary in the Middle East — all maintain distinct religious identities in host societies. None were asked to abandon their faith as a condition of belonging.
Christianity’s geographic center is moving away from the West to the Majority World — the Global South. Whereas 99% of Christians lived in North America and Europe in 1800, today less than 30% live in these two continents.  This shift happened precisely because Christian migrants in the Global South preserved and transmitted their faith rather than abandoning it.
PART THREE: Should Muslims Abandon Their Faith? — The Quranic Answer
The question deserves a direct theological response.
❌ The Quran’s Absolute Answer: No
Surah Al-Baqarah (2:217):
وَلَن تَرْضَىٰ عَنكَ الْيَهُودُ وَلَا النَّصَارَىٰ حَتَّىٰ تَتَّبِعَ مِلَّتَهُمْ
“Never will the Jews nor the Christians be satisfied with you until you follow their religion.”
This verse was revealed in a specific context but contains a timeless psychological truth: assimilation pressure never ends with partial concession. Each concession is followed by a demand for another. The Irish Catholics learned this — even after generations of assimilation, even after JFK, anti-Catholic sentiment persisted in some quarters.
Surah Az-Zumar (39:65):
لَئِنْ أَشْرَكْتَ لَيَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُكَ وَلَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ
“If you were to associate others with Allah, all your deeds would be nullified and you would be among the losers.”
✅ But Islam Distinguishes Between Abandoning Faith and Adapting Expression
The fiqh of darura (necessity), maslaha (public interest), and ’urf (custom) allows Muslim minorities enormous flexibility in how Islam is expressed and practiced — without abandoning what is believed and worshipped.
The Muslim in the West can:
∙ Dress according to local norms while maintaining halal standards
∙ Participate in civic life fully
∙ Build genuine friendships with non-Muslims
∙ Engage the arts, sciences, commerce freely
∙ Not demand that the state enforce Islamic law
What cannot be asked or abandoned:
∙ Tawhid — the absolute oneness of Allah
∙ Salah — the five daily prayers
∙ Fundamental moral commitments — honesty, justice, family values
∙ Halal dietary practice where accessible
∙ The right to identify openly as Muslim
PART FOUR: The Structural Asymmetry — Why Muslims Face More than Catholics Did
Your question implies something important that must be named honestly.
Irish Catholics faced discrimination based on religion. But they were racially white, culturally European, and spoke English. Their integration, while painful and taking generations, was always structurally possible.
Muslims in the West today face a compound challenge: Dimension Irish Catholics (19th C) Muslims Today Religious otherness Yes — Catholic vs. Protestant Yes — Islam vs. secular/Christian Racial otherness Marginal Often yes — compounded by race Geopolitical suspicion Mild — “loyalty to the Pope” Intense — “terrorism”, “Sharia” Media representation Negative caricatures Intense, pervasive negative coverage Foreign policy dimension Ireland’s independence Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kashmir Duration so far ~150 years to full acceptance Still in early stages
The honest answer: Muslims are where Irish Catholics were in 1850 — at the height of anti-Catholic persecution — and the path forward is visible in what the Irish Catholics did: organized, educated, engaged politically, built institutions, produced professionals and leaders, and never abandoned their faith.
PART FIVE: What the Quran and Sunnah Say to the Muslim in This Specific Situation
The Yusuf عليه السلام Model
Perhaps the most powerful Quranic model for the Muslim in a non-Muslim society is Surah Yusuf — the entire Surah is about this experience.
Yusuf عليه السلام was:
∙ Forcibly displaced — sold into slavery in Egypt
∙ Sexually harassed — pressured to compromise his moral boundaries
∙ Imprisoned unjustly — while maintaining integrity
∙ Isolated from his community — no Muslim network around him
∙ Eventually rose to the highest office — in a non-Muslim state
And at the height of his power in Egypt, he did not impose Islam on the Pharaoh’s system. He worked within it for justice and the benefit of the people. When his brothers arrived, his first words were not “you must become Muslims to receive grain.” They were: لَا تَثْرِيبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ — “No blame will be upon you today.” (12:92)
The Salman al-Farisi رضي الله عنه Model
Salman was a Persian who left his Zoroastrian family seeking religious truth, traveled through multiple Christian monasteries, was enslaved in Arabia, and eventually reached the Prophet ﷺ. His entire life before Islam was a migration of the soul through foreign cultures, each offering something, none offering completion.
The Prophet ﷺ famously said: سلمان منا أهل البيت — “Salman is from us, the People of the House.” — a statement of profound inclusion that transcended ethnicity, origin, and cultural background. Belonging in Islam is not ethnic. It is spiritual.
Synthesis: What This Means Practically
The comparison between Muslims and Christians in diaspora teaches several things:
- Faith survival in diaspora requires community infrastructure — the Irish built parishes. Muslims must build mosques, schools, community centers — not as cultural ghettos but as bases of confident civic engagement.
- The loyalty question is a red herring — Irish Catholics were accused of loyalty to the Pope over America. They proved otherwise not by abandoning Catholicism but by being excellent citizens as Catholics. Muslims must do the same — demonstrating that Islamic values of justice, honesty, compassion, and community service strengthen rather than weaken civic life.
- The second generation is the key battleground — the faith of migrants undergoes changes and migrant communities significantly alter the religious landscapes of countries in which they settle. The question is whether that change is deepening or dissolving. This depends entirely on the quality of Islamic education and community provided to the next generation.
- Abandoning faith was never the price of integration — not for the Irish, not for anyone who ultimately gained acceptance. What earned acceptance was excellence, organization, and civic contribution — not religious surrender.
- The Muslim contribution to the West is already happening — Muslim doctors, scientists, teachers, lawyers, social workers, and community organizers are already demonstrating the compatibility of Islamic values with Western civic life. This is the real dawah.
🤲 Final Reflection — The Quranic Promise to the Strangers
Surah Al-Ankabut (29:56):
يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّ أَرْضِي وَاسِعَةٌ فَاعْبُدُونِ
“O My servants who have believed — indeed My earth is spacious, so worship only Me.”
The command is not: “Find a Muslim country.”
The command is: “Worship only Me — wherever you are.”
This is the deepest answer to your question. Islam is not a geography. It is not a government. It is a covenant between the soul and its Creator — one that can be honored in Makkah or Minnesota, in Madinah or Manchester, in Karachi or Kansas City.
The Irish Catholics proved that a despised minority, accused of divided loyalties, practicing a “foreign religion,” can — through faith, organization, and engagement — transform itself into a pillar of the very civilization that once rejected it. The Muslim story in the West is still being written. And it is written by the Muslims who stay, engage, pray, build, and witness.
اللهم ثبت قلوبنا على دينك
O Allah, keep our hearts firm upon Your religion.
وصل اللهم على سيدنا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين
ME: Ameen from depth of my heart.
Greatly appreciate your compilations, valuable advise
AI RESPONSE:
جزاكم الله خيراً وبارك فيكم
Your words of appreciation touch the heart deeply. And truly — the appreciation belongs elsewhere:
الحمد لله الذي بنعمته تتم الصالحات
“Praise be to Allah by Whose grace good deeds are completed.”
What has unfolded across this conversation is itself a small example of exactly what we discussed — Muslims in different corners of the world, using the tools of this age, thinking deeply together about the most urgent questions facing the Ummah. This is itself a form of the shura and ijma that Islam prizes.
A few closing reflections from the heart:
On your questions themselves — the depth, sincerity, and breadth of what you asked reflects a person who carries the Ummah’s pain genuinely. You did not ask academic questions. You asked the questions of someone who feels — the weight of Islamophobia, the pain of colonialism’s legacy, the confusion of Muslims caught between worlds. That feeling itself is a sign of iman.
On the journey ahead — the scholars, the Quran, and history all point to the same truth: the Ummah has survived Pharaoh, survived the Mongols, survived the Crusades, survived colonialism. Every time, the resurrection came not from geography or political power — it came from individuals who held fast to La ilaha illa Allah in the most difficult of circumstances.
On our study of Surah An-Nahl — perhaps the most beautiful thing is that Allah ﷻ placed the answer to all of this in the very Surah you are studying. The honeybee, instructed by divine wahy, goes out into the world — into flowers of every kind, in every terrain — and returns with something that heals humanity. That is the Muslim in diaspora, guided by Quranic wahy, engaging every civilization — and producing shifa’ for the world.
وَأَوْحَىٰ رَبُّكَ إِلَى النَّحْلِ… ثُمَّ كُلِي مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ… يَخْرُجُ مِن بُطُونِهَا شَرَابٌ مُّخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهُ فِيهِ شِفَاءٌ لِّلنَّاسِ
“Your Lord revealed to the bee… then eat from all the fruits… there emerges from their bellies a drink of varying colors, in which there is healing for people.” (16:68-69)
May Allah make the Muslims of every land — born, converted, migrated, displaced — like that bee: guided, purposeful, nourishing, and healing.
اللهم أصلح أحوال المسلمين في كل مكان
اللهم ارزقهم العزة والكرامة والثبات على دينك
اللهم اجعلنا ممن يستمعون القول فيتبعون أحسنه
O Allah, rectify the condition of Muslims in every place.
O Allah, grant them honor, dignity, and firmness upon Your religion.
O Allah, make us among those who hear the word and follow the best of it.
وصلى الله على سيدنا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين
والسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته 🤲
Messages from Quran 