Planning and Implementing:

In verses 97-100 of Surat An-Nisaa, Allah speaks about 3 groups of people in regards to Hijrah.  Let us consider these groups:

1.       Those who stayed at home, not making hijrah claiming that they were weak and oppressed on the earth (mustad’afeen) when in reality they could have migrated—Allah states that such will find an abode in hell.

2.       Those men, women and children who stayed at home, not making hijrah because they were, indeed, so weak and oppressed on the earth (mustad’afeen) that “they could not devise a ploy (strategic plan) nor direct their way.” – Allah states that it is more likely that Allah will forgive them.

3.       Those who actually made hijrah for the sake of Allah – Allah states that

     a) they will find many dwelling places

b) they will find plenty to live by

c) their reward is incumbent upon Allah if they die as emigrants (muhaajireen)

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ تَوَفَّىٰهُمُ ٱلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ ظَالِمِيٓ أَنفُسِهِمۡ قَالُواْ فِيمَ كُنتُمۡۖ قَالُواْ كُنَّا مُسۡتَضۡعَفِينَ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِۚ قَالُوٓاْ أَلَمۡ تَكُنۡ أَرۡضُ ٱللَّهِ وَٰسِعَةٗ فَتُهَاجِرُواْ فِيهَاۚ فَأُوْلَٰٓئِكَ مَأۡوَىٰهُمۡ جَهَنَّمُۖ وَسَآءَتۡ مَصِيرًا ٩٧

إِلَّا ٱلۡمُسۡتَضۡعَفِينَ مِنَ ٱلرِّجَالِ وَٱلنِّسَآءِ وَٱلۡوِلۡدَٰنِ لَا يَسۡتَطِيعُونَ حِيلَةٗ وَلَا يَهۡتَدُونَ سَبِيلٗا ٩٨

فَأُوْلَٰٓئِكَ عَسَى ٱللَّهُ أَن يَعۡفُوَ عَنۡهُمۡۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَفُوًّا غَفُورٗا ٩٩

۞وَمَن يُهَاجِرۡ فِي سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ يَجِدۡ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ مُرَٰغَمٗا كَثِيرٗا وَسَعَةٗۚ وَمَن يَخۡرُجۡ مِنۢ بَيۡتِهِۦ مُهَاجِرًا إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ ثُمَّ يُدۡرِكۡهُ ٱلۡمَوۡتُ فَقَدۡ وَقَعَ أَجۡرُهُۥ عَلَى ٱللَّهِۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورٗا رَّحِيمٗا ١٠٠

97. Surely (as for) those whom the angels cause to die while they are unjust to their souls, they shall say: In what state were you? They shall say: We were weak in the earth. They shall say: Was not Allah´s earth spacious, so that you should have migrated therein? So these it is whose abode is hell, and it is an evil resort

98. Except the weak from among the men and the children who have not in their power the means nor can they find a way (to escape);

99. So these, it may be, Allah will pardon them, and Allah is Pardoning, Forgiving.

100. And whoever flies in Allah´s way, he will find in the earth many a place of refuge and abundant resources, and whoever goes forth from his house flying to Allah and His Messenger, and then death overtakes him, his reward is indeed with Allah and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

If each of us were to take a moment to reflect on these three categories with regards to Al-Hijrah and place ourselves in one of them, which group would we be in?

            -With those who sat at home and were blameworthy?

            -With those who were so weak and oppressed that they could not even devise a plan?

or

              -With those who were, not only capable of making a plan, but went the extra mile and carried it   out?

In these verses, we find an excellent demonstration of how to categorize our own selves with respect to carrying out the commands of Allah.  Although, specifically, here these ayaat are referring to Al-Hijrah, we can benefit from the same example and apply it to our goals that we want to realize in religion as well in the dunya.

With every goal, there are three types of people:

1. those who sit and end up doing nothing to realize their goal,

2. those who want to realize their goal but end up sitting and doing nothing because they are incapable and

3. those who want to realize their goal and actually put in the necessary work to make it a reality.

Now, if we go back to verse 4:98, we will see that the key words that differentiate between the 2^nd and 3^rd groups are لَا يَسۡتَطِيعُونَ حِيلَةٗ وَلَا يَهۡتَدُونَ سَبِيلٗ -- “they could not devise a ploy (strategic plan) nor direct their way.”

Granted that there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the muslim ummah as a whole at this day in time can be categorically described as “weak and oppressed.” But, given that, the question now becomes: are we so weak and oppressed that we cant even devise a strategic plan to improve our situation? To make Hijrah? To pray on time?  To fast all of Ramadan? To memorize Quran? To stay married?  To educate our families? To provide for our families? To get out of debt? To build a house? To start a business?

Is that really the case? Or are we more like the first group who just sits and does nothing about it?

Here, at Yayasan Anshorrul Muhaajirin, we believe that each and every one of us is not only capable of, at the very least, devising a plan, as mentioned in the above ayaat, to better our situations but also of making an honest man’s effort to carry out those plans.  We do not consider it acceptable to be a people who sit and do nothing!

***The above commentaries and observations concerning the verses 97-100 were written by Luqman Hasan. They are not scholarly commentaries and should be considered nothing more than a layman’s way of self-admonition based on the apparent meanings of the verses. They do not push a particular opinion regarding whether hijrah is obligatory or not.  For scholarly opinions on the Islamic ruling on hijrah, one may refer to the many ahaadeeth which speak about hijrah and to the explanations of scholars such as Sheikh Al-Albaani and  Ibn Uthaymeen.