Education

Education is the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits. Educational methods include storytelling, discussion, teaching, training, and directed research. Education frequently takes place under the guidance of educators, however learners may also educate themselves.

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Muslims . Livelihood . Education . Western Society

Is it allowed for Muslims to emigrate to the West for reasons of livelihood, security, or education? Should Muslims build permanent infrastructures and institutions in the West or should they work to return to their birth countries?

Amina Inloes, Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the... Answer updated 1 month ago

A general view is: It is allowed for a person living in a Muslim-majority society to emigrate to a non-Muslim society as long as it does not cause one to lose one's religion.

Beyond that, if a Muslim emigrates to the West, it is a personal decision whether or not they decide on focusing on building infrastructures in the West, or focus on going back to their country of origin. Not everyone has the same circumstances or the same role in life. Some people will work effectively in one country but not another. So it isn't the sort of thing one can say there is only one answer to.

A more detailed view:

If someone has no choice and must emigrate for some reason, then obviously it is allowed; questions of permissibility are only for things that are by choice. Usually emigration is due to some need, such as for economic or political reasons, and not a straightforward choice.

The entire earth belongs to Allah. One of the ways that Allah directs us to one geographical location or another is through rizq - that is, making it difficult for us to live in one place and giving us employment or opportunities in another - and this is part of the divine plan.

Additionally, in reality, few (if any) Muslim-majority societies are currently embracing all the major values of Islam, such as social justice, absence of corruption, supporting the deprived, racial equality, and other things. We all know that in some Muslim-majority societies, there is also a problem with sectarian violence or sectarian restrictions.

Furthermore, in some Muslim-majority societies, Islamic practice has been restricted (such as limitations on or a bias against wearing the hijab).

So it may be overly simplistic to divide the world into "Muslim societies" and "non-Muslim societies".

However, one might surmise there are still some cultural factors in Muslim-majority societies that support a person's faith, or help in passing it on to children, such as being around mosques, seeing Islam as a normalized as part of daily life, less public alcohol consumption, and these sorts of things.

Anyway, yes, it seems like a good idea for Muslims to build permanent infrastructures in the West since many Muslims live in the West.

One can also note that Islam did not spread to today's "Muslim world" overnight. One major reason for the spread of Islam was the migration of individual Muslims to various places, and their their establishment of mosques and other institutions. So building Islamic institutions in the West is not something new or different, rather, it is just the same sort of thing that happened before. Sometimes there is a mental image that the Muslim-majority world was always that way, but that is obviously not the case on a historical level.

Note: There is an underlying assumption between this statement that all Muslims in the West come from, or have ancestry in, other countries. This assumption should be challenged. Not all Muslims in the West were born in other countries. Many Muslims in the West were born in the West and cannot easily return to the country of their ancestors, or they may be of mixed ancestry and not have a specific country to go do that is "theirs".

Also, not all Muslims in the West trace their ancestry to non-Western countries, so they do not have another country to go back to. (While some Western Muslims have attempted "hijra" to the Muslim-majority world, there are usually barriers along the lines of residency permits, work permits, being treated perpetually like an outsider, etc.)

I suspect that the migration of Muslims to the West is part of Allah's plan and perhaps Allah wishes to end the "clash of civilizations" between Islam and the West and create more interchange. Also, having a significant number of Muslims in the West has sparked some important discussions about Islam, Islamic law, inter-faith relations, and other matters due to the situation of Islam being in a new environment. This helps to have growth in Muslim thought rather than stagnation. So one can see there have been some benefits overall for the ummah to having a large number of Muslims, and Muslim institutions, in the West.

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Education . Cheating

Is it allowed to write a thesis on behalf of another person for their university degree and get paid by them?

Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 2 months ago

Muslim should avoid cheating in any way. The student is required to write himself his own thesis to get the degree which he or she is trying to get, and not to get another person to write for him.

Wassalam

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Education . Walima . Marriage

Is it permissible for a couple to do Nikah but then stay separate from each other for a year or two to complete their education? Does the Nikah remain valid if Walima is performed later after the completion of their education?

Zaid Alsalami, Shaykh Dr Zaid Alsalami is an Iraqi born scholar, raised in Australia. He obtained a BA from Al-Mustafa University, Qom, and an MA from the Islamic College in London. He also obtained a PhD from... Answered 3 months ago

Bismihi ta'ala

Being separate from each other for a short or long time does not nullify the marriage. In the rulings related to marriage, a husband is not allowed to travel or be away from his wife for more than 4 months. In the case that he does, and the wife does not approve of it, he is sinning and if she does not approve, it will be grounds for divorce.

So, if the husband abandons for more than 4 months, he is committing a sin and that is haram, unless the wife approves, or he has a valid excuse, or the husband had stipulated this in the marriage contract.

But, in any case, the Nikah will still be valid, and it will not automatically become nullified, even if years pass.

However, if the wife give consent, and approve of being distant from each other, then that is permissible and allowed.

And Allah knows best.

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Loan . Sin . Students . Education

I took out a student loan in order to complete my business degree at university. Was this a sin and is it allowed for me to gain employment or any other benefit on the basis of this degree?

It is allowed to take money from the government to meet studying expenses and repay it later on after employment according to the agreement.

Wassalam.

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Islam . Education

What is Islam's point of view on an ideal education system?

Education and gaining knowledge is part of best deeds and best worship in Islam. Education in Islam aims to make life better by knowing the facts of life and universe. Islam focuses on useful knowledge and not any knowledge which might have no effect on the life of the learner or his family and society. Useful knowledge according to Hadeeth is:

1 Knowing your Creator.

2. Knowing His bounties on you.

3. Knowing what He wants from you.

4. Knowing what is harmful to your religion.

Education system in Islam is open and free. It goes on with the human being all along his life.

'Wassalam.

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Education . Cheating

With all the university classes being online, is it allowed to use class notes or use a search engine when doing tests?

If the exam team allows the students to do so, then it is permissible, but if they do not allow it, then it becomes a type of cheating which every Muslim must avoid.

Wassalam.

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Qum . Education

How many years does it take to obtain a PhD from Al-Mustafa University in Qum?

You may contact them directly or through their website.

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Conversion to Islam . Education

As a recent 27 year old revert to Islam, am I too old to attend a Muslim college to learn more about the religion? Or are there any online courses available to me?

You are not too old; as the hadith says, "Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave." Besides, many Islamic scholars started their education later.

There are physical colleges that you can attend and also there are a number of online courses; you can explore them to see what fits your needs.

Some suggestions to start your search are:

* The Islamic College in the UK (islamic-college.ac.uk)
* Al-Mahdi Institute in the UK
* Ahl al-Bayt Islamic Seminary in Chicago
* AlQaem institute
* Online ShiaStudies (onlineshiastudies.com)
* Al-Mustafa Open University in Iran (https://www.onlinestudies.com/universities/Iran/Al-Mustafa-Open-University/)

This is a very partial list. If you talk to people around you or search online you can find different programs in specific countries and see what is suitable for you, your situation, and your interests.

Best wishes with your studies!