WHERE TO START?

Assalaamu Alaykum,

for any non-Muslims reading this, peace be upon those who follow righteous guidance,

RIGHT... WHERE TO START?

Seems simple enough, how do you start your journey for making Hijrah. I mean, I can't just go with no plans right? so I need a plan, after all the prophet Muhammad (saws) spent three years planning his Hijrah.

Also, the verses in the Quran talking of those excused being blameworthy for not making hijrah say,

Except the feeble among men, and the women, and the children, who are unable to devise a plan and are not shown a way.
Quran, Surah An-Nisa, verse 98

So the place to start my journey is planning it out, deciding where I am going to go, and making a plan for getting there.

Something that might help others wanting to make Hijrah is looking at the different aspects of each Muslim nation and deciding based upon a strict criteria of what is important where you want to go.

Here is my list of different things I will be comparing. I am not saying the list is perfect, or that it will be right for you even if it is right for me, but this is what me and the Mrs feel is important to us and might not be the same for you and your family (Brothers, remember to make shura with your family, don't just surprise them one day with air tickets for the next day).

1. How easy is it to practice the Deen there, how practicing are the other Muslims, and if there are any limits to practicing what are they?
Simple enough right? I mean - if we are making Hijrah for the sake of Allah then bit of a non-starter if going to end up in a place I will be locked up for praying Fajr in Jammah (and plenty of Muslim nations are like this).
Also, how far can you go in the deen? Can you talk to others and give Dawah and naseehah or are the authorities OK with you praying as long as you don't try to bother others and enjoin the good and forbid the evil in society?
Finally, how good is the community going to be around us when we make hijrah, after all it is a lot easier to practice if everyone else is also.

2. Whether Autopsy is allowed, or even compulsory, if is allowed then under what Circumstances?
Maybe it is just my family in particular, but we don't want our bodies to be cut up and messed around with after we die, it's a simple wish but even if I was murdered I don't think it would be worthwhile to go through having to feel my body cut up when I am dead just so they get a little bit extra chance of catching the killer.

3. How Easy is it to move to that land and how easy is it to get citizenship?
What you didn't know lots of Muslim countries put up all sorts of awful barriers to stop others moving there? Yeah I know it is not Islamic for them to do this, but they do so we have to work with the system we have got otherwise they are not going to let us in in the first place.
So how easy is it to go there, i.e visas etc and how easy is it to get citizenship later on?

That's because some countries will let you come work there, but you hit retirement age you are you kicked out. Seems harsh but that is what they do, so I need to know if I can get citizenship for myself and family or at least be left in peace and not thrown on the first UK bound flight when I hit my 65th birthday!

4. What are the employment prospects like there for me?
(or you if you are copying my list)
I am English, that means foreign language skills to me means just talking loudly and slowly in English, maybe using smaller words. Got me through life so far, but to be honest it is a little arrogant to assume everyone will speak English to me when I am going to live in their country so maybe I need to change this a little bit.
Certainly, I thought it would mean finding a job is more difficult so made it a must for me to learn Arabic before I went, as I'm not too sure where I'm going to make Hijrah to and at least if I know Arabic I have two languages I can speak slowly and loudly to people in not just one!
Actually, there are many jobs where you don't need to know the local lingo!

What really? I hear you say!

Yes, There are many jobs for international business and local business that do international business dealings also that need English speakers, some countries use English for all their business dealings, write all their documents in English, answer the phone in English, OK I might feel like a billy-no-mates at lunch hour but at least I will have better English than everyone else during work hours!

Second big problem I have is I don't have a degree...

I know many of you are wondering how I managed to get married without a degree, but it is only 90% of UK Muslim families that insist on the degree as a prerequisite to marriage, and alhamdulillah my in-laws are from the other 10% who don't happen to feel that a degree, professional job, house and car are all needed by the potential son-in-law before allowing their daughter to marry.

But still, no degree. Makes getting a decent job difficult. After all, even some office jobs in the middle east, stuff only idiots like me do in the UK ask for a degree or diploma at least.

So this is a major worry, I can find jobs though, but I think realistically I got to go for the poor paid ones as I don't have the letters after my name. What is more I left Uni after starting so that means no Grant at all, so it would cost me tens of thousands to go Uni now, and if I could afford that much then I could buy a plot of farm land somewhere and wouldn't need to be worrying about getting a good job so I can save up tens of thousands of pounds to buy a plot of land somewhere...

5. What are the medical facilities like for Citizens and Residents?
I am very much a 'tie your camal and put your trust in Allah' kind of Muslim. I like to know that if me or my family get ill then we can get at least some basic medical aid. That if I have an accident and my arm gets infected and goes green that at least they'll cut it off before it kills me and I won't have to do a DIY job at home with an electric saw.

Hope that hasn't made some of you sick, but we have to face realities and life without medical care is a pretty nasty reality to face.

So When I am looking at a country, I want to know what free, or at least very cheap half decent medical care is available, whether it is available for citizens only or for working residents also?

6. What are the other Benefits like for both Residents and Citizens?
I Don't want to sponge, but then again I would like to know what is there should I get sick or die. This Hijrah is for my family also, not just for me so if something happened to me would they be looked after or have to jump on the next available flight out of there and stuck back in the UK again because they can't afford to eat or have anywhere to live?

7. What is the General Culture Like There?
Not too important, but still when making a comparison between two countries, both good, then having a culture that is more friendly and open could swing it over one that isn't.

8. What is the Environment like and going to be Like?
For those who have been asleep for the past about 10-15 years, you need to realise that there is a global crisis, actually two.

The first is that the environment is heating up, the polar and mountain ice and snow is melting, the sea levels are rising and what is the point of me moving to example... the Maldives, if within 50-100 years my kids will have to leave again because it will be under water.

Also, higher temperatures mean weather patterns changing, places that have little water now might have lots then, those that have lots might have little. All Environmental factors have to be looked at to make sure our Hijrah is not something temporary for one generation only before my kids and their kids have to go elsewhere.

The second crisis is that oil is running out... What don't believe me?
Check out the following video which covers this as well as other topics relating to oil.

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=robert+newman&emb=0&aq=0&oq=robert+new#

now you have seen it on TV (or at least seen a TV program on it) so therefore for most people that is proof it is true!

Still in doubt, look it up yourself, google 'peak oil'

The basic argument is this. Our entire civilisation is built on oil, without oil we cannot run our transportation, agriculture, etc, oil is a finite resourse, when oil runs out modern civilisation collapses.

So moving to a place that without oil could naturally support a population of 12 fishermen, but presently has a Million people living there might not be the best of plans.

9. General Stability
Meaning how likely is the nice pretty little country I am looking at to move me and my young family to likely to turn into a war zone, are there any serious tensions with the neighbours? any likely genocidal civil wars looking likely anytime soon?

Right, that is my list, hope you find it useful for your Hijrah plans. This is only the Start however, then we have to use our lists to look at each country and decide which is a best fit and then decide what we are going to do from there.

Assalaamu Alaykum,
Peace be upon those who follow righteous guidance,

Abu Abdillah

PS. Here is the list again of Muslim nations from wiki for those who want to do their own looking.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majority_Muslim_countries