It is often said that raising faithful children in the West is possible, and that there are many examples of such children who are excellent Muslims. While there is no denying the possibility, this argument is a fallacy, and should be viewed within context.

By in large, the children being referred to represent a very small percentage of those raised in the West. It is very unlikely for a child’s faith to be unaffected while constantly being fed misconceptions through education, media, and peers.

When the fundamentals of faith are shaken, parents and local Muslim communities start to focus on the children maintaining jurisprudential duties such as fasting and praying. But over time, even these begin to fade. Acting upon jurisprudential laws without a solid foundation in their beliefs causes a vicious cycle in the disintegration of their faith.

Unfortunately, the Muslim youth then end up leading double lives - one in front of their families and community, and the other, with their friends and in private.

Anecdotally, anonymous questions reveal the thought patterns of such troubled youth. Teenage girls and boys admit to addictions to pornography, alcohol, crystal meth and other similar drugs, and are concerned - not about their hereafter - but about their parents finding out what they are doing and then taking away their internet!

There is a direct relationship between the availability of these Islamically forbidden products and services and the take up of their use. When it comes to deciding to live in such places, such factors as availability of these items and services, freely and with societies acceptance, and the lack of readily available Mosques, Islamic Schools, professional consulting services and the like, should be a significant factor in any decision.

Nonetheless, it cannot be said that it is impossible to raise pious children in the west. And it must be admitted that there are youth raised in Islamic countries who have gone astray despite their surroundings.

وعن الحسن تراه ولد في الاسلام ونشأ بين المسلمين يبيع دينه بكذا وكذا، وهؤلاء كفار نشئوا في الكفر بذلوا أنفسهم الله.

You see a child born in to Islam and has been raised amongst Muslims but sells his faith for such and such, and you see those infidels [Magicians who immediately submitted to Prophet Moses, peace be upon him] raised in infidelity sacrificing themselves for Allah All Mighty1.

10.1: Another Fallacy

Many Muslims have migrated to non-Islamic nations, either voluntarily or by force. Circumstances such as war and persecution have left many Muslims - in particular the Shia – with no choice but to migrate. Those who migrated voluntarily - perhaps to seek worldly gains – likely believed the fallacy that they would not be affected by the society’s spiritual weakness, outward perversion, and ideological carelessness.

Despite acknowledging that when they first entered these countries, they were considerably affected and at times even drawn to the ill-natured doings of that society, they now feel that they have become so accustomed to the environment that they are no longer affected by what they run against daily.

They consider that it is not necessary for them to return to Islamic nations, especially considering the comfort and security they find themselves in and the services they have become used to.

Such is the fallacy that has made those now living in the West unwilling to return to their Islamic countries – despite the fact that the original excuse for the migration has long been resolved.

These people should be aware that their reasoning has the following fundamental flaws:

For those who voluntarily migrated, at the very outset, their migration to a non-Islamic country was potentially a transgression, since there may have been the fear of losing their religion and falling into sin.

The argument that they have become so accustomed to outward perversions and sinful behaviours that they are not affected by them, is in itself a significant calamity. What they are actually admitting to is a lack of disdain at such acts. Sin has become so widespread within the community that it appears to be normal. This is despite the fact that disdain of sin is one of the prerequisites of the obligation of Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil, and is the beginning of Repentance - because one who is repentant must feel regret and disdain of sin.

Who is it that can remain unaffected while constantly witnessing sin? And even if someone claims to remain staunch in every problematic situation, can the same be said of their children and family as they assimilate into the society?

Those who live in the West, will over time, slowly but surely, start to lose their Islamic beliefs and manners. Whether this happens consciously or unconsciously, they will become habituated to thoughts and ideologies that infringe on their Islamic values. They will become entrenched in materialistic modernisation and will eventually submerge themselves into the environment around them.

If those migrants somehow manage to salvage their beliefs, they will still - without a doubt - face exceptional difficulties in performing their obligations and abstaining from the forbidden. It will be almost impossible for them to keep away from all impermissible visual and auditory stimuli, unlawful foods, and prohibited earnings.

These migrants will also face significant hardship in raising their children and families to be faithful and practicing Muslims. Those who have become accustomed to western culture will have a materialistic worldview, and their religious faith and practices will perhaps fade to a stage where they do not even believe in the majority of the Islamic Laws!

The environment in which one lives has a significant impact on an individual’s thinking, tastes and behaviour. For this reason, communities that are closer to the source of religious information will have a stronger commitment to religion.

It is written that Ali Ibn Musa Al-Ridha, peace be upon him, said to Muhammad bin Sinan:

Allah (SwT) has forbidden “Ta’arrub after Migration” because doing so results in regression from religion, leaving the support to Prophets, and the Clear Signs (The Imams), 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 there is no guarantee they will not leave behind the gaining of religious knowledge and enter into the realm of the ignorants2.

• 1. al-Zamakhshari, Al-Kashshaaf. Vol. 2 P. 103.
• 2. Shaykh al-Amili, Wasa’il al-Shia. Vol. 15 P. 100.