Part 63

This is because what is mentioned with regard to explanation of this Aayah is not to be found in al-Baghawee's Tafseer with this wording. That will be at the time when acceptance of righteous actions comes to an end. Allaah, the Most High, says, "On the Day when the sun rises from the west it will not benefit any unbeliever to then believe, not having believed prior to that; nor will any righteous action be accepted except from those who believed and acted righteously beforehand." [surah al-An'aam (6): 158] Here we shall mention the ruling regarding travelling to the land of unbelief. Travelling to the lands of the unbelievers is not permissible unless three conditions are met:- (i) That the person has knowledge in order to repel doubts. (ii) That he is a person adhering to the Religion such that it will prevent him from following desires. (iii) That he has a need to do so. If these three conditions are not present, then it is not permissible to travel to the lands of the Unbelievers due to the trials and enticement to evil that it entails or is to be feared. It also would involve wasting of wealth since a person will have to spend a great deal of money upon such journeys. However if there is a need for that, due to a requirement for medical treatment or to acquire some (technical) knowledge that is not to be found in his own land, and he is a person having knowledge and he adheres to the Religion, as we have described, then there is no harm in that. But as for travelling to the land of the unbelievers for tourism, then this is not a need. It is possible instead to go to lands of Islaam whose people uphold the manifest signs of Islaam. Furthermore our land [i.e. Saudi Arabia] has become, and all praise is for Allaah, suitable for tourism in some areas, so a person may go there and spend the time of his vacation there. As for residing in the lands of the unbelievers, then this is something very dangerous for the Muslims Religion, his character, behaviour and manners. We and others have seen many of those who went to reside there being corrupted so that they return in a state different to the state they went in. They returned as shameless folk, and some even as apostates having left and disbelieved in their Religion and in ail religions, and we seek Allaah's refuge, to the point that they came to deny the Religion totally and to mock it and its people, the earlier and the later ones. Therefore it is fitting, indeed it is binding that this be avoided and that the aforementioned conditions which prevent one from falling into such destruction are applied. Residing in the land of unbelief has two fundamental conditions: (i) That the person's Religion will be safe, such that he has sufficient knowledge and eemaan, and strong resolve as will satisfy one that he will remain firm upon his Religion and beware of deviating or being corrupted away from it. He must also have within him enmity and hatred towards the unbelievers and must be far removed from affiliation or love for them. Indeed affiliation and love for them are things that negate eemaan. Allaah, the Most High, says, "You will not find a people who believe in Allaah and the Last Day having love for those who oppose Allaah and His Messenger and contradict Allaah's commands, even if they be their fathers, or their sons, or their brothers or their tribe." [surah al-Mujaadilah (58):22] "O you who believe, do not take the Jews and Christians as friends, protectors and helpers. They are but friends, helpers and protectors of one another. So whoever takes them as such then he is from them, in alliance against Allaah, His Messenger and the Believers. Indeed Allaah will not guide those who ally themselves with the Jews and Christians. So you will see those (hypocrites) who have sickness in their hearts hastening to friendship and alliance with them, saying: we do so for fear that some disaster may befall us from our enemies causing us to need their assistance So perhaps Allaah will bring about victory or some affair to the benefit of the Believers. Then those hypocrites will come to regret their friendship, love and alliance with the Jews and he Christians that they concealed in their hearts." [surah al-Maa'idah (5):51-52] It is also confirmed in what is authentic from the Prophet that: "Whoever loves a people is from them, and a person is with those whom he loves." [Translator: alBukhaaree reports in his sahih from 'Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood, radiyallaahu ‘anhu that the Prophet said: "Every person will be with those whom he loves." (Eng. transl. vol. 8, p. 122, no. 189) and Ahmad reports in part of a longer hadith from 'Aaishah, radiyallaahu ‘anhaa that Allaah's Messenger said: "...and a man does not love a people except that Allaah will cause him to be with them." (Declared sahih by Shaykh al-Albaanee in Saheehul-JaamV no. 3021)]. (ii) That he is able to openly manifest his Religion, such that he can establish the outer signs of Islaam without being prevented.