(A lecture by Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah as an introduction to a letter of guidance for emigrants and expatriates.)

The issue emigration(hijrah) as a Quranic concept - and as an essential Islamic concept - focuses on a single central concern, but it brings into play a number of other issues including aspect of belief, values, and life in general - in all its political, personal, social, economic and security dimensions. Living in a particular country might become difficult, for instance, if those who are running it pressurize their citizens to deviate from their belief.

They might find their personal security under threat, or be subjected to political or social persecution, to the extent that their very existence in that country becomes problematic, and challenges all their cause and interests. In such cases, emigration may be the only way out of the dilemma, and the only way to solve their problems. Relocation could provide the opportunity to regain their strength and their belief in themselves, their causes and their country.

And while we emphasize (the value of) the relationship between people and the land in which they were born, raised and lived, and where all their relationships moved dynamically in its (land) domain, we weigh the value of the homeland in its relationship with the people. A free land produces free people, and it gives them the freedom to make their own decisions and plan their own lives alongside others, but in occupied lands, the oppressed people have no power to control their lives or to practice their political or social pursuits as they would wish.

Therefore, when a land cannot support and nurture its people, it is all too natural that they will want to move to another country. This is what the Commander of the faithful(a.s.) was referring to when he emphasized the relationship between the land as a value and its people in their dynamic movement in life; the Imam(as) said: "No country is more entitled to you than another: the best country is the one that supports you."

In light of this, we may consider that the Qur'anic verses regard emigration under certain circumstances, and also as an opportunity for individuals to resolve their problems and affairs, since emigration permits them to live within broader horizons than was possible in their own country.

Regarding the first supposition, Allah the Most High said: "The angels will ask those whom they carry off while steeped in sin: "What were you doing?" We were oppressed in the land, they will reply; they will say: "Was not the earth of Allah spacious enough for you to emigrate? "Hell shall be their home; a bad fate.

Except those who are (Really) weak and oppressed -men women and children, who have no means in their power, nor (a guide) to direct their way. For these, there is hope that Allah will pardon them: For Allah is Pardoning and forgiving. " 4:97-99.

Allah the Most high emphasizes, in this verse, that the inherent weakness in man does not justify his submission to arrogant adversaries who oppressors, they join the line of deviation, and distance themselves from Allah the Most High. They may, on the other hand, be able to proceed from this position of weakness to a position of strength in another country. Where they cam have their freedom, regain or develop strength in themselves, and acquire the ability to confront the adversaries, and perhaps may later return to their country and give it strength through their own effort and the efforts of the others.

Allah does not accept weakness as a justification foe deviation, succumbing to failure or abandoning vital causes. If an individual is able to transform this weakness to strength even if through emigration. Therefore, Islam stresses the obligation(on Muslims) to emigrate from a land of atheism or a land of aberration where beliefs or values are threatened by adversaries -who may attempt to turn them into atheists o to make them deviate or to go astray- provided that they have the freedom of movement.

However, the Holy Qur'an makes an exception from all this: those deemed weak (by the arrogant forces) who do not have any chance of getting out of the positions of weakness - "who have no means in their power, nor (a guide) to direct their way' - and so have no chance or getting out of that country and have no opportunity of opening up to a way in which they can carry out their duty of calling (others) to the right path, on account of the pressures that control them, "there is hope that Allah pardon them', for they are not capable of escape that tunnel, at the end of which there is not even a glimmer of light.

The positive view of emigration

As for the wider aspect of the philosophy of emigration and talking about the positive side of it, Allah says: 'And whosoever emigrates in the way of Allah, shall find numerous places of refuge in the land and great abundance' 4:100. This part of the verse shows that the person for whom his life in his country -his income and the opportunity to carry out propagation work in the path of Allah and his obedience -become harder to achieve, emigration for him shall be his chance to enter the wider arena and wider horizons and access the many opportunities by which he can lighten the pressures that surround him.

Therefore, Islam does not view emigration in a negative way, rather it holds a positive view of it and, perhaps, this view proceeds from the basis that Islam does not want the person to imprison himself within his country but to open up to the many humanistic arenas in which he can find the scientific, political, social, economic and security opportunities that he cannot find in his own country, and also to enrich himself through the emigration of different people with different powers, knowledge and positions. This is because Allah the Most High has made knowing one another' the basis of the relations between humans -who are different in their nationalities, race and culture -through each party giving to and taking from the experience of others, and this is hat Allah said in: "O Men, We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you might get to know one another; the noblest of you in Allah sight he who is most God-fearing (righteous); Allah is All-Knowing and All-Wise."49:13.

Hence, if knowing one another's s the basis for the meeting between an idiosyncrasy of one nation or family and that of another, it is only natural in this case that man should move, as individual or group, to acquire the opportunity of knowing one another with another individual or group.

The Holy Qur'an emphasizes the great benefit of emigration if it has its Islamic legal justifications that open up to positions of Allah's satisfaction, His obedience and the arenas of struggle in this path; Allah the Most High says: "And whosesoever emigrate in the way of Allah, shall find numerous places of refuge in the land and great abundance; and he that leaves his dwelling and emigrates in the way of Allah and His Messenger and is then overtaken by death, shall (certainly) be rewarded by Allah; and Allah is forgiving and Merciful' 4:100, for he has been in (the realm) of obedience to Allah and his path, just as if when he died in the battle.

Islam emphasizes the emigration issue as a vital, positive issue which can preserve a man's freedom if his freedom and dignity cannot be preserved but through emigration. Allah the Most dignity cannot be preserved but through emigration. Allah the Most High told us about the oppressed Muslims in Mecca who say: "Deliver us, our Lord, from this city, whose people are oppressors, and raise for us from you one who will protect, and raise for us from you one who will help.'7:75. These oppressed people were being forced to leave their religion and were struggling very hard to contend with numerous pressures, boycotts, humiliation and torture and this was why they opened up to Allah the Most High to ask him to provide for them a supportive power 'And raise for us from you one who will help'.

Allah told us about the pressures that made those (Muslims) to leave their country, rather reluctantly, since they would have loved to say and to maintain the religious adherence to which they had joined and belonged, were it not for the pressures of the polytheists: "Those who have been unjustly driven from their homes, only because they said: "Our Lord is Allah" 22:40. Allah the Most High ordained the emigration, by which the Muslims proceeded from Mecca to Medina so that they would become a power for Islam in its new arena, with a great reward of dignity.

These are some of the Quranic verses that talk about emigration in a narrated that Surely Allah likes expatriation in the search foe income. The person whose rizq has become scarce in his country, and who emigrates to another country to search of more rizq, will receive Allah's love for that Naturally, the rizq here is not limited to one thing, rather it represents one type of need; therefore, if the person emigrates in search of knowledge or to call foe Allah, or to gain political or economic opportunities that are related to his nations strength and his dignity, he will certainly gain Allah's love for he is moving in the path which Allah accepts and He loves whoever follows it.

The negative aspect of emigration

These are the general aspects of the positive sides of emigration in Islam. As for the negative aspects, as person's emigration may take him from the land of Islam to a land of infidelity where he cannot preserve his religion, humanity, strength and dignity -Allah does not accept this. The (religious) scholars ruled -and we approve their ruling -that emigration is forbidden (haram) if it involves going to any country in which (the person's) religion will weaken, in that the person would not be able to preserve his religion and his level of adherence to the intellectual or belief aspects of his religion, or to preserve his family's religion in their upbringing, (religious) practice and adherence -for Allah demands that a man protects himself and his family from fire, in his words: "O believers, guard your selves and your family against a fire fuelled with men and stones' 666:6. Thus if protecting himself and his family from fire cannot be achieved except by staying in his country and not emigrating to this or that infidel or deviant country, them a man must stay and traveling (i.e emigrating) is forbidden. It was narrated that there is a prohibition against leaving the land of Islam for the land of infidelity, in the sense that travel to such locations would make a man ignorant of his religion and not adhere to it, since (permitted) emigration represents the Islamic position which (should) enrich one's Islamic belief and deeds.

Therefore, if emigrating from the land of Islam to a land of infidelity leads to a weakness in religion and deviation in belief and balance them it is Islamically forbidden. However, if the emigration does not lead to that, but rather that the emigrant finds an opportunity to propagate Islam and to strengthen it in himself, other positions outside Islam or Muslims who need guidance to find the right path, then emigrating would be recommended (mustahabb), and it might even reach the level of obligation (wajib) if the emigrant is one whom those living in that country need to strength their religion adherence and morals, or need for the call to Allah the Most High in these areas.