In the name of Allah who revealed an āyah
about the muhājirāt and preserved it in the
clear-cut revelation until the establishment
of the Hour. May blessings and peace be upon
the Imām of the mujāhidīn and the beloved
of the Ansār and Muhājirīn as well as his
family, companions, and good followers until
the Day of Recompense. As for what follows:
Because hijrāh for Allah’s cause is a great
matter, Allah revealed about it, {And the
first forerunners among the Muhājirīn and
the Ansār and those who followed them with
good conduct – Allah is pleased with them
and they are pleased with Him, and He has
prepared for them gardens beneath which
rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever.
That is the great success} [At-Tawbah: 100].
Similarly, if not for the greatness of hijrah,
the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)
would not have given it as an example in the
hadīth “actions are according to intentions,”
as he said, “So whoever’s hijrah is to Allah
and His Messenger, then his hijrah is to Allah
and His Messenger.” Hijrah from Makkah to
al-Madīnah also represented a great event
and important turning point in the prophetic
mission, as it contained many great lessons.
Rather, it was the greatest event in the history
of Islam, and for this reason it was used as
the basis for the Islamic calendar.
Hijrah for Allah’s cause has many purposes,
amongst them being to escape tribulations,
fearing that one may fall into them and that
his religion may be affected by them. Also,
getting used to seeing kufr and shirk without
changing it could lead to death of the heart, to
the point that the person does not recognize
Islam and its people. Also, from amongst the
purposes of hijrah is to join the sides of the
Muslims, support them, strengthen their
forces, and wage jihād against the enemies
of Allah and their enemies.
Hijrah, as it was defined by Ibn Qudāmah is “to
leave dārul-kufr for dārul-Islām” [Al-Mughnī]. Sa’d
Ibn ‘Atīq (rahimahullāh) said, “It is migrating from
the places of shirk and sin to the land of Islam
and obedience” [Ad-Durar as-Saniyyah]. So dārul-
Islām is the place ruled by Muslims, where the
Islamic laws are executed, where authority is for
the Muslims, even if the majority of its population
are kuffār from ahlul-dhimmah. As for dārul-kufr,
then it is the place ruled by kuffār, where the laws
of kufr are executed, where authority is for the
kuffār, even if the majority of the population are
Muslims.
As for the ruling on hijrah from dārul-kufr to
dārul-Islām, then it is obligatory. Allah (ta’ālā)
said, {Indeed, those whom the angels take [in