Another Fallacy

Many Muslims have migrated to Polytheistic Nations, a migration that may have been due to certain circumstances that have either forced them to do so, or they may have voluntarily migrate.   Circumstances such as wars and persecution have especially affected many Muslims and in particular Shia Muslims.  Voluntary migration such as migrating to seek worldly gains, education, business, family, and the like.  Such migrants may have a particular fallacy created within them: And that is that that they are not affected by its spiritual weaknesses, outward perversion, and carelessness be it of an ideological nature or of mannerisms.

And they have reached this position, according to their pretense, because they have become so accustomed and saturated to the environment in which they now live in – they are no longer affected by what they run against daily.  This is despite acknowledging that at first, they were considerably affected when they first entered these countries, and perhaps, some even were drawn to the ill-natured doings of that society.

They also consider that it is not even necessary to return to Islamic Nations, especially considering the comfort and security they find themselves in and the services that they have become accustomed to.

Such is the fallacy that has been used when some of people who are now living in the West were requested to return to their Islamic countries, and especially in cases where the excuse and reason for the migration in the first pace has been lifted and resolved.

To those people, at the outset, they should be made aware of a number of issues that their argument has:

1. For those who voluntarily migrated, at the very outset, their migration to such non-Islamic countries is one that is potentially a transgression – where there is no compulsion to migrate due to a risk to life, for example, or where there is an alternative choice.  This is especially the case where there is a probability the one may not be able to protect their religion and cannot be certain of not falling in to sin.
2. The very argument used – “being accustomed to such outward perversions and sinful behaviours and to not be affected by them” – should that be possible – is in itself a significant calamity.  What they are actually admitting to is that they have reached a stage where they are accustomed to being around sin, lacking the disdain of such things and to avoid them.  Rather, these sins have become widespread within the community and spread as if it were normal.  This is despite that disdain of sin is one of the prerequisites required before one can act upon the obligation of Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil, is the beginning of Repentance and to be able to give appropriate advice.  This is because one who is repentful must feel regret and disdain of sin.
3. Thirdly, who is the one that can remain unaffected by the environment and ongoing witnessing of sin and remain staunch in every situation?  And even if one can claim to have that certainty, can the same be said of their children and family as they assimilate into the society in which they have been taken to, having their roots grow deep in to the society, far away from the teaching of religion – and rather – take their non-faithful polytheistic teachings instead, and the western education becomes the foundation in building their lives?

One who lives in the West will, over time, slowly but surely, start to have their belief, faith and Islamic manners stripped away whether it is done so consciously or unconsciously, and then start to take on the thoughts and ideologies that infringe on their Islamic values, becoming accustomed to them.  They become entrenched in materialistic modernisation that is generally far from that with which the spirit of religion demands and they then fly off and submerge themselves into the world that they are surrounded by.

And let’s consider that even if those individuals do not believe in what contradicts their religion, at least there will be difficulties in performing their obligatory religious duties and abstaining from that which is not permitted, including abstaining from forbidden visual, auditory stimuli and forbidden foods, usury at times, and to accumulate habits of those countries.  And there is no doubt, there will be significant difficulties in raising their children and families who become accustomed to their culture and who grow up in an environment that knows nothing of Islam but its name.

Materialism becomes normal, and their worldview becomes materialistic as their religious faith, rituals and views shrink, and perhaps even reach a stage where they do not even believe in the majority of the Islamic Laws such as fasting and praying and other such rulings based on unseen benefits!

It is generally that the environment in which one lives in has a significant impact on the individuals behavior who begins to adopt the line of thinking of their surrounding, clearly being affected to the point of their tastes and choices.  For this reason, communities that are closer to the source of religious information will have a stronger commitment to religion, and the color of spirituality will have apparent signs within it.

Therefore, there is no specific ruling to forbid living in the desert, but rather, the restriction is due to the negative impact that “Taa’rub badul Hijjra” has, and that’s what the Purified Household, Peace Be Upon Them, have clarified for us.  It is written that Ali Ibn Musa Al-Ridha peace be upon him, has said to Muhammad bin Sinan in answer to his questions: Allahﷻ has forbidden “Taa’rub after Migration” because doing so results in regression from religion, leaving the support to Prophets,  and the Clear Signs Peace Be Upon Them, and whatever else in terms of perversions and revocation of the rights of those who own rights.  And so it is, that if one understands religion in its totality, it would not be permissible for him to live amongst the ignorants.  And there is concern for this individual in that for there is no guarantee they will not leave behind the gaining of religious knowledge and entering in to the realm of the ignorants.^[1]

^[1] Wasail Al-Shia V15:100