Is it Still Permissible to Live in a Country if You Think Your Parents Came Illegally?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
Given that one must follow the laws of the (non-Muslim) country one finds oneself in. If one finds out that one’s parents’ immigration to the country might have involved actions proscribed by the immigration law of the country, is it permissible for one to continue to live in the country (as a person who gained citizenship through their parents) or would one count as benefitting from something haram in doing so?
And if one isn’t sure of the details of how their parents came to be in the country, must one ask their parents for those details and move out if it might have involved undocumented/illegal immigration?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.
It is permissible for you to live in the country. Your citizenship is based on your birth in the country. There is no need to ask about the details of your parents coming into the country as you are unsure anyway, as you mentioned. This will lead to unnecessary misgivings.
I assume your parents have passports and residential status. So, leave it as that. Many countries have laws that if one lived illegally, they can apply to make their stay legal.
I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. You will receive guidance and direction, in sha’ Allah.
Related:
- Migration Archives.
- Devil’s Tricks – The Path of Muhammad: Birgivi’s Manual of Taqwa Explained. [Video]
- A Reader on OCD and Waswasa (Baseless Misgivings).
Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on SeekersGuidance?
I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.
