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What is the ruling on traveling to the lands of the Rafidah for work or study?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

It is permissible for a student of knowledge who possesses strong arguments to travel to the lands of the people of innovation in order to spread the Sunnah and confront them, enduring harm in the way of Allah, following the advice of Luqman the Wise. However, it is not permissible for the general Muslim populace to travel to those lands, out of fear of being influenced by their specious arguments or being forced to outwardly agree with them. Their companionship can corrupt hearts, and the Salaf and Imams have warned against listening to the people of falsehood to protect the heart and ensure its soundness. Based on this, the Imams have issued rulings prohibiting residence in a country where the Salaf are reviled. Similarly, trade and travel to lands of disbelief or misleading innovation are disliked, and travel to them is forbidden if a Muslim is unable to openly practice his religion there.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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