Part 65

So the cultural attache, for example, resides in order to take care of students affairs, and to monitor them, and to encourage them to adhere to the Religion of Islaam and its manners and behaviour. So his residence there brings about great benefit and repels great evil. THE FOURTH CATEGORY: That he resides there for some personal and permissible need - such as business or medical treatment. Such residence will be permissible in accordance with the need. So the scholars, may Allaah have mercy upon them, stated in their works that it is permissible to enter the lands of the unbelievers for business, and they quote some reports from the Companions, radiyallaahu 'anhum, in that regard. THE FIFTH CATEGORY: That he resides there for studies, and this is of the same class as the previous one, due to a need. However it is more dangerous and more damaging to a person's Religion and character. This is because the students will feel that he is in a position of inferiority with regard to his teacher. This can result in respect for them and satisfaction with their views, opinions and manners so that he imitates them, except for those whom Allaah wills to be protected, and they are few. Also the student feels a need for his teacher which will lead to love for him and to outward acceptance of the deviation and misguidance that he is upon. Furthermore a student will have friends from amongst his fellow students, and will love them and have friendship with them. He will also be influenced by them. Due to the danger of this category it is obligatory that one takes greater care with regard to it than the previous category. Further conditions are to be attached to it, in addition to the two fundamental conditions. These are: (i) That the students intellect is very advanced so that he is able to distinguish between that which benefits and that which harms, and to look to future consequences. But as for sending young students and those with limited intellect, then this is very dangerous for their Religion, character and manners. It is also a source of great danger for their Umtnah to which they will return and then spread the poison which they received from those unbelievers within it. This is something that is witnessed and borne out by reality. Many of those students who are sent return in a different state to that which they went upon. They come back having deviated in their practice of the Religion, in their character and their manners. So this causes such harm to them and their society as is well-known and witnessed. So sending them is just like sending ewes to ravenous dogs. That the student should have sufficient knowledge of his Religion as will enable him to distinguish between truth and falsehood; and as will enable him to refute falsehood with the truth, so that he does not become fooled by their falsehood and imagine it to be truth, or that he is confused by it, or unable to rebut it, and so either remains in confusion or follows the falsehood. There occurs in the supplication that is reported: "O Allaah, manifest the truth to me as being the truth, and grant me that I follow it; and manifest falsehood to me as being falsehood, and grant me that I should keep away from it, and do not make it obscure for me so that I should go astray." (iii) That the students adherence to the Religion is such that it will protect and preserve him from unbelief and wickedness. So one who is weak in his adherence to the Religion will not be safe there, unless Allaah wills; this is due to the strength of the attack against him and the weakness of his defences. The causes of unbelief and wickedness over there are strong, many, and various. So if they assault a place where defences are weak then they will do their work. (iv) That there is a need for the knowledge that he resides there in order to attain. There must be benefit for the Muslims in what he is learning, and it must be such that its like cannot be found in the educational institutions of their lands. But if it is some superfluous knowledge that is of no benefit to the Muslims, or if it can be studied in the Islamic lands, then it is not permissible to reside in the lands of unbelief to attain it, because of the danger to a persons Religion and character, and due to the pointless waste of large sums of money. THE SIXTH CATEGORY: That he resides there to take that as a place of residence, this is even more serious and dangerous than what preceded it due to the evils it entails because of complete association with the people of unbelief. Also because he will feel that he belongs to that land, along with whatever that will entail such as love, alliance, and helping to swell the size of the community of unbelievers. Also his family will grow and be educated amongst the unbelievers and will therefore take on some of their manners and customs. They may even follow them in their beliefs and worship.