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Fatwa CenterHis parents live in Denmark and he wants to live in Iraq
Question
Salamu alaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh!I am currently living in is Denmark where it is "easy" to practise Islam. Problem is, this is a country full of fitnah, evils and sins.Another problem is, my whole family (my siblings and parents) lives here.Now, my parents allows me to go back to my/our homeland (Iraq), where the majority of our family is and many muslims aswell. We're also going on a vacation to Iraq for a month soon insha'Allah. So I want to know, is it permissible to stay in Iraq? My parents are going back to Denmark after that, but I want to know this also:Is this like a form of abandonining my parents, because that'd be a sin, and if it is not and since my parents are okay with me staying in Iraq. Is this going to be permissible and a better deed than staying with my parents in a country of evil? - Which could lead me to Jahannam. (insha'Allah the whole of my family will move out of it and to somewhere else aswell)~A brother in need of advice
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
First of all, may Allaah reward you for being keen on obeying your Lord and for preserving your religion and for being kind to your parents, so may Allaah enable you to achieve your aspiration about this and admit you to Paradise.
If you might be subjected to afflictions in that non-Muslim country, then it is not permissible for you to reside there and you are obliged to migrate to a Muslim country; for more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 86405.
Therefore, you are not obliged to obey your parents if they ask you to reside in that non-Muslim country because there is no obedience to a creature in disobeying the Creator. ‘Ali 
narrated that the Prophet said: “Obedience is required only in what is permissible.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Not obeying the parents in this matter [i.e. migrating to a Muslim country without their consent] is not considered as abandoning them.
However, if your parents are pleased with you for residing in Iraq, then there is much good in this. As regards which act is better rewarding, then this depends on your efforts in performing acts of obedience and doing good. Besides, you may be kind and dutiful to your parents even though they are far from you, like by contacting them and sending them whatever good you can. Moreover, it is possible for a Muslim to be kind and dutiful to his parents even after their death.
For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 84942 and 82254.
Allaah Knows best.
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