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Fatwa CenterMuslims calling to Islam while living in a non-Muslim country
Question
Assalamualaikum warahmatuullahi wabarakatuh, Respected Shaykh, I was just going through the question 85662 titled “Restrictions placed by Muslims on non-Muslims, etc.”, which states the rights of a non Muslims when he stays in a Muslim state.
Iam keen to know what are the rights of Muslim who stays in a Non Muslim country/state.
Is a muslim require to adhere to all the political obligations which the countries follow?
If the country strongly believes in their religion which adopts the same strategy as we follow in our countries as mentioned in question 85662(provide the liberty to follow and practice but not invite to their religion or follow your own rules), what are muslims suppose to do?
We travel to other countries and we are bounded to the deal that we make in the Visa, so what are we suppose to do? Stay there according to their rules and terms?
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, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.
It should be noted that it is not permissible for the Muslim to immigrate to the lands of disbelief except for a necessity or a dire need because immigration to the lands of disbelief cannot be free from violations of Sharee‘ah rules in general. For further information, see Fatwa 86405.
However, if there is a valid reason for the Muslim to immigrate and stay there, he must abide by the rules and laws which regulate people's life and which do not contradict the rulings of Sharee‘ah. Nonetheless, a Muslim should not abide by the laws that contradict the Sharee‘ah rulings. For instance, if the law forbids the Muslim from inviting people to Islam, he should not abide by that. Rather, he should give Da‘wah within his own capacity. At the same time, he should not violate these laws in a manner that may inflict harm on him; rather, he should invite people to Islam through the available means, which do not put him in a critical situation, such as giving Da‘wah individually. More importantly, the Muslim should be a good example in dealing with others, since this reflects the merits of Islam and its good impact on its followers. Indeed, being a good example effectively encourages people to embrace Islam.
Finally, we remind the questioner that it is not appropriate to equate Islam, the true religion, with other false religions. Muslims have the right to ban non-Muslims from propagating their religions because this is an invitation to falsehood. Non-Muslims, however, do not have the right to prevent Muslims from calling people to Islam because Islam is the true religion. As regards the fact that non-Muslims believe they are adhering to the truth, it is of no significance. For further information, see Fatwa 87140.
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