Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Hādi al-Madkhalī:

Because the lands of the non-Muslims, they encourage their disbelieving brothers (in disbelief) because they are the same;

۞ وَدُّوا لَوْ تَكْفُرُونَ كَمَا كَفَرُوا فَتَكُونُونَ سَوَاءً

“They wish that you reject Faith, as they have rejected (Faith),” (Q 4:89).

So they seek to misguide us, we ask Allah ﷻ for His pardoning and His protection as Allah ﷻ says;

۞ يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُبَيِّنَ لَكُمْ وَيَهْدِيَكُمْ سُنَنَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ وَيَتُوبَ عَلَيْكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ ۞ وَاللَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَن يَتُوبَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَيُرِيدُ الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الشَّهَوَاتِ أَن تَمِيلُوا مَيْلًا عَظِيمًا

“Allah wishes to accept your repentance, but those who follow their lusts, wish that you (believers) should deviate tremendously away from the Right Path. Allah wishes to lighten (the burden) for you; and man was created weak (cannot be patient to leave sexual intercourse with woman).”
(Q 27:28)

So they do not want anything but this (to deviate us away from the path),

۞ وَلَن تَرْضَىٰ عَنكَ الْيَهُودُ وَلَا النَّصَارَىٰ حَتَّىٰ تَتَّبِعَ مِلَّتَهُمْ ۗ

“Never will the Jews nor the Christians be pleased with you (O Muḥammad) till you follow their religion.” Q 2:120)

and Allah ﷻ said,

۞ وَدُّوا لَوْ تَكْفُرُونَ كَمَا كَفَرُوا فَتَكُونُونَ سَوَاءً ۖ فَلَا تَتَّخِذُوا مِنْهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءَ

“They wish that you reject Faith, as they have rejected (Faith),and thus that you all become equal (like one another). So take not Auliya’(protectors or friends) from them,’‘ (Q 4:89

and,

۞ إِنَّ الْكَافِرِينَ كَانُوا لَكُمْ عَدُوًّا مُّبِينًا

“Verily, the disbelievers are ever unto you open enemies.” [Q 4:101)

So the point is, this is what they [non-Muslims] want, and they have been victorious over this woman and her husband [in the question] – and we ask Allah ﷻ His pardoning and His protection, this is what is apparent, O’ gathering of brothers.

And living in disbelieving lands is severely dangerous and it is feared for the ones (Muslims) who live there that deviation and perversion will happen to them. The Prophet said ﷺ:

”I am free from any Muslim who lives amongst the polytheist, they should not see each others fires.”

For example if you were living in a desert then you should be so far away from each other, so much so that if they light a fire for themselves. you are not able to see it and if you were to light a fire then he wouldn’t be able to see it.

There should be separation between you and him so that you don’t see his face, nor should you become soft or compassionate towards him, nor should you be lenient to him, nor should you engage with him, (for if you were to do this) then everything will become normal, and this is how it is when a Muslim initially travels to a non-Muslim country. He begins to dislike many things, then when he stays for days, the disliking decreases, then when he stays for months, the disliking diminishes and weakens and then the disliking leaves and perhaps he will start practicing what the disbelievers do just like them.

I advise our brothers living in the lands of the non-Muslims, that they fear Allah ﷻ in themselves and in their male and female children, because when the male or female child reaches 18 years of age there, the parents do not have authority over him. The daughter turns away, goes out and does whatever she wishes, if she fornicates then, there isn’t a problem and you have no authority over her. If you, as her father were to speak to her then she will take you to the local authority and they’ll put you in prison and that’s the end of you. Likewise your son, if he commits crimes (unclear word), and you were to lay your hands on him, they’d put you in jail. So what benefit is there in living in these type of countries?

It is upon the Muslims to migrate – according to their capability, to the land of the Muslims. Many people seek [to live] in the kingdom (of Saudi Arabia). We say; this is good if possible but if not then any country from the countries of the Muslims is better for you than to live in the lands of the non-Muslims.

Unfortunately, there is something else misunderstood in this era. They call those who go to disbelieving lands “migrants” [Muhājirūn], as we hear in the news ”A boat capsized in the north African coast, killing migrants on their way to Italy” Just last night they said, “90 or 40 dead bodies of migrants where found”

Are these migrants [Muhājirūn]? Migration [al-hijra] is going from a land of shirk to a land of Islam, [it is] not going from a Muslim land to a land of shirk, this is wrong. Hijra is from a land of shirk to a Muslim land. So those people are not migrants, rather they are people who boycott their religion heading to lands of disbelievers.

And another thing is that they don’t go [to these non-Muslim lands] for a correct legislated reason such as to learn something of necessity which isn’t available in Muslim lands, or for medication which isn’t found in the land of the Muslims or business necessity which requires traveling (to lands of the non-Muslims). No, they travel for things which they’ll be favored with such as abundant provision in the EU or in the US and some other lies that are said from the one who encourages this on the media or websites. [Some of these websites] you click on a link and it says “Congratulations you’ve gained a permit to stay in the US. Contact us!” In order to steal from you and so on.

So upon our brothers is to fear Allah ﷻ and that they don’t live in the lands of the non-Muslims, except for a necessity and the necessity is according to its importance and when there is no further necessity, it is not permissible for them to stay therein.