﷽
The Questioner asks:
“These days the protests have intensified and all the Muslims or majority of them are coming out onto the streets to protest against a rule which says that it is mandatory for the Muslims to prove their Indian citizenship with documents and the Muslims fear that this is a ploy in the form of legislation from the government to declare Muslims as non-citizens and cast them into prisons or detention camps or take away their rights or execute other means of oppression. The ḥizbiyyūn (partisans) and people of Jamʿiyyāt (charity organizations) are permitting these demonstrations under the pretext that they are living in the land of disbelievers and that it is a necessity in a country ruled by democracy and they are blaming the Salafīs who are not participating in these demonstrations as cowardly and making other allegations on them.
And some people are saying that demonstrations with some restrictions are permissible being that they don’t cause harm to anyone and their timely prayers are preserved and don’t commit any violations (of Islam). So what is your advice to Muslims in general and specifically to the Salafīs?”
The Answer:
Our advice to all Muslims – whether they be Sunnīs or people of bid’ah – is that it is obligatory that we fear Allāh and our Lord has said :
﴿وَمَنْ يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجًا وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ﴾
And whosoever fears Allāh and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way out for him and He will provide him from sources he could never imagine.
Sūrah aṭ-Ṭalāq 2
And He said,
﴿وَلَقَدْ وَصَّيْنَا الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ وَإِيَّاكُمْ أَنِ اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۚ﴾
And verily we have recommended to the people of scriptures before you and to you (Oh Muslims) to fear Allāh and keep your duty towards Him.
Sūrah an-Nisā 131
That which has occurred is a sort of trial and it is not lifted by sinning and imitating the disbelievers. This is from imitating the disbelievers whether it is in the form of demonstrations or sit-in strikes or coming out on the streets or strikes or shouting slogans; all these are imitation of the disbelievers.
And how can the aid of Allāh come forth and alleviate our problems while we are going out and imitating the disbelievers and sinning. These demonstrations are from the branches of blasphemous democracy even though it is not disbelief in itself but it is misguidance and deviance and not permissible. The Muslims are only in need of supplicating to Allāh.
Moreover, these demonstrations, its origin is that it does not serve the interests of Muslims, although it is not permissible and no benefit comes by it because they (the disbelievers) don’t care about it! Indeed whoever they wish to bring to power, to serve their interests they say to them: ‘Bring out Demonstrations!’ and they photograph (the event) and spread it in public media and gather people against them. If they wish to take revenge upon some of the Muslim rulers as happened in “The Arab Destruction”, which they refer to as the so-called “Arab Spring” but in reality it is (to be called) “The Arab Destruction”.
So (this is how it goes), whichever nation they wish to cause havoc, then they motivate their agents and those who get deceived by them from the ḥizbiyyūn and people of bid’ah and may be promote them by one way or other until they overthrow whom they want and and raise up whoever they wish and once they their purpose has been achieved (they back-off). These demonstrations have no relevance.
Some demonstrations were done in some of the countries and once they did what they wanted… Like what happened in the demonstrations by Al-Ikhwan (Al Muslimeen) in Egypt, and after all that they didn’t care regarding them and they used wheel loaders to disperse them, (Yes) wheel loaders! And none of these came up in any media and they did not care regarding them. And similarly in Sudan, they aided them until what they wanted happened – a short while ago they performed the (so-called) “Millions March” and it did not create any effect. So these are only established if they want it (to execute what they want) and when they don’t need it, then it does not harm them and they don’t care about it. Rather may be they (protests) were means for the disbelievers to gain more dominance over the Muslims and they getting more informed against them. As is well known to all of you, the sort of suffering that befalls on the Muslims in India and other than it from the countries and especially in India, (where the disbelievers are) worshipers of cows and also in those Western countries – how much we hear that (to cause suffering on the Muslims) they are indulging in the (affairs of) countries or large cities and instigating them. So this is not a solution, May Allāh bless you all!
The solution is in returning to Allāh and seeking repentance and remaining firm and understanding the Dīn of Allāh and making Hijrah from the land of the disbelievers. Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿāla said :
﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَوَفَّاهُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ ظَالِمِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ قَالُوا فِيمَ كُنْتُمْ ۖ قَالُوا كُنَّا مُسْتَضْعَفِينَ فِي الْأَرْضِ ۚ قَالُوا أَلَمْ تَكُنْ أَرْضُ اللَّهِ وَاسِعَةً فَتُهَاجِرُوا فِيهَا ۚ﴾
”Verily! As for those whom the angels take (in death) while they are wronging themselves (as they stayed among the disbelievers even though emigration was obligatory for them), they (angels) say (to them): “In what (condition) were you?” They reply: “We were weak and oppressed on earth.” They (angels) say: “Was not the earth of Allah spacious enough for you to emigrate therein?””
Sūrah an-Nisā 97
And the Prophet ﷺ said,
“I am free of the Muslim who settles among the disbelievers”
Recorded by al-Ṭaḥāwī on the authority of Khālid bin Walīd and it is a Ṣaḥīḥ Ḥadīth
We have already mentioned in a treatise which is published in Arabic and English (in regards to the topic) [http://abuamro.com/?p=4242] and the purpose of writing the treatise was what we witnessed from evil when we visited India for Da’wah and we have mentioned in detail in this treatise regarding the topic (of Hijrah); that if one is not able to establish the Dīn, then whoever is capable of performing Hijrah should do so.
﴿أَلَمْ تَكُنْ أَرْضُ اللَّهِ وَاسِعَةً فَتُهَاجِرُوا فِيهَا﴾
Was not the earth of Allāh spacious enough for you to emigrate therein?”
Sūrah an-Nisā 97
And this is why we advise the one is capable with Hijrah. And the one who is not capable,
﴿فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ﴾
So keep your duty to Allāh and fear Him as much as you can
Sūrah At-Taghabun 16
﴿اسْتَعِينُوا بِاللَّهِ وَاصْبِرُوا ۖ إِنَّ الْأَرْضَ لِلَّهِ يُورِثُهَا مَنْ يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ ۖ وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ﴾
”Seek help in Allāh and be patient. Verily, the earth is Allāh’s. He gives it as a heritage to whom He will of His slaves, and the (blessed) end is for the Muttaqun“
Sūrah al-‘A’raaf 128
Upon you is patience and devoting yourself to Allāh and humbly praying to Allāh and as for imitating the disbelievers in their acts and seeking judgement from their rule and thinking that this will be a way out then this will only increase the evil and trials.
We pray to Allāh for safety and well-being and we ask Allah ﷻ that He eases the affairs of the Muslims in the lands and countries of disbelievers and grants them relief.
Source: https://t.me/abuamroalhgoury/6346
Answered by Shaykh Abū ʿAmr ʿAbdul Karīm al-Ḥajūrī ḥafiẓahullāh on 29th Rabīʿ ath-Thānī, 1441H
Translated by
Abu Muhammad Nezam Al-Hindi -May Allāh forgive him and his parents-