Migration

At a glance

Migration, or الهجرة hijrah, in the Quran is far more than a physical journey from one country to another. At its core, it is the deliberate choice to leave behind whatever displeases Allah: false worship, persistent sins, corrupting gatherings, or lands where a believer cannot practice the faith, in order to seek a place or state where devotion to Allah can flourish.

The Quran honors those who make this sacrifice, whether they are prophets like Ibrahim and Musa who abandoned tyranny to protect divine truth, or early believers who surrendered wealth and homes to build a righteous community. Their stories establish that turning away from wrongdoing and corrupt companions is a continuous duty for every Muslim.

Ultimately, the path of migration is an act of trust. Leaving familiar surroundings, habits, or associations can feel terrifying, yet the Quran guarantees that whoever leaves something for Allah finds abundant provision, divine honor, forgiveness, and eternal joy in the world to come.

Key verses

1. Al-An'am 6:68: The paper cites this ayah to show the obligation of leaving gatherings where Allah's revelations are mocked or distorted, establishing that true migration includes moving away from spaces of innovation and sin when one cannot change them.
2. An-Nisa 4:97-98: These verses warn believers who remain in lands of oppression while able to leave that they wrong their own souls, while pardoning those who are genuinely weak, trapped, or unable to find a route of escape.
3. At-Tawbah 9:122: The paper uses this verse to demonstrate that traveling in search of sacred knowledge is a shared communal obligation of the highest rank, placed side by side with the duty of striving in the path of Allah.
4. An-Nisa 4:100: This ayah guarantees that anyone who migrates for Allah's sake will discover expansive opportunities, security, and relief on earth, while promising full eternal reward even if death overtakes them along the road.
5. Al-Muzzammil 73:20: The paper highlights that traveling the earth to earn an honest living is linked directly to striving for Allah, serving as a recognized reason for lessening night prayers.
6. At-Tawbah 9:100: The Quran offers eternal praise to the foremost migrants and their supporters, declaring Allah's pleasure with them and promising gardens of everlasting delight.
7. Al-Muzzammil 73:10: This ayah commands the Prophet to endure insults with patience and practice a graceful departure, teaching believers to distance themselves inwardly without insult or desire for revenge.
8. Al-Ankabut 29:26: The paper identifies Ibrahim's declaration as the first explicitly described migration for faith, showing that his departure was a movement toward Allah in heart, soul, and body.
9. Al-Ankabut 29:56: Allah reminds believers that His earth is vast, instructing them to abandon environments where worship is stifled so they may dedicate their devotion solely to Him.
10. Al-Kahf 18:60: The paper references Musa's resolve to travel endlessly until reaching the meeting of the two seas to demonstrate the immense perseverance required when seeking beneficial knowledge.
11. Al-Muddaththir 74:5: Revealed at the very dawn of revelation, this command to abandon all forms of defilement proves that inward migration from sin and idolatry is the foundation of religion.
12. Ash-Shu'ara 26:216: The paper notes that declaring disavowal of wrong actions, even when committed by kin or followers, exemplifies the heart's inward migration away from disobedience.

Words to know

الهجرة al-hijrah

Linguistically severing or tying, and in the Quran it means leaving and parting either by physical body, tongue, or heart for the sake of Allah.

Appears 31 times in the Quran.

Most common forms: هاجَرَ (16), مُهاجِر (7), اهْجُرْ (5), مَهْجُور (1), مُهاجِرَة (1)

Root: ه ج ر

الترك al-tark

Leaving something in its place and walking away from it, setting it aside without continuing to hold onto it.

Root: ت ر ك

المتاركة al-mutarakah

Abandoning a matter along with the desire for it, in contrast to migration where longing for the abandoned home often remains.

القطيعة al-qati'ah

Severing kindness, goodwill, and ties of kinship with family and relatives, representing the direct opposite of maintaining relationships.

الخروج al-khuruj

Departing from within a perimeter toward the outside, whether that relocation happens to be praiseworthy or blameworthy.

Root: خ ر ج

Migration from lands of war to lands of Islam

From the paper: «أولًا: الهجرة من دار الحرب إلى دار الإسلام»

The Quran establishes that when believers reside in an environment marked by open hostility to faith, where they are prevented from worshiping Allah and declaring pure monotheism, leaving that place is an ongoing divine obligation Al-Ankabut 29:56. Staying among oppressors while possessing the physical and financial means to depart is condemned in the strongest terms. The angels rebuke those who claim helplessness without true excuse, describing them as having wronged their own souls, and their final abode is warned to be the Fire An-Nisa 4:97.

Scholars such as Ibn Kathir, Ibn al-Arabi, and al-Sa'di affirm that this obligation remains active until the Day of Judgment whenever a Muslim cannot practice their religion. The only individuals excused from this duty are the genuinely vulnerable: frail men, women, and children who cannot devise an escape plan or find a safe path An-Nisa 4:98-99. For these weak souls, Allah promises His boundless pardon, demonstrating that His law never imposes a burden beyond what human beings can bear.

Migration from lands of innovation and sin to Sunnah

From the paper: «ثانيًا: الهجرة من أرض البدعة والمعصية إلى أرض السنة والطاعة»

Migration is not restricted to leaving lands of disbelief. It also applies to departing any town, neighborhood, or gathering where religious innovations, open sin, and mocking of sacred signs take over. Early scholars like Sa'id ibn Jubayr and Ata applied the verse declaring Allah's earth to be vast Al-Ankabut 29:56 to leaving places governed by injustice and sin in favor of environments of truth and righteousness.

The Quran specifically forbids lingering in gatherings where sacred signs are belittled or distorted, commanding the believer to withdraw until the conversation changes Al-An'am 6:68, An-Nisa 4:140. Ibn Kathir and al-Shawkani observe that whoever sits contentedly through such gatherings shares in their wrongdoing.

Islamic rulings outline two situations regarding such environments:

• Departure is obligatory when staying will compromise a person's faith or when they cannot forbid the evil.
• Remaining is permissible when a person has the knowledge, strength, and opportunity to correct the wrongs, call sinners back to guidance, and remind the people of Allah Al-An'am 6:69.

The paper also notes the hadith of the man who killed a hundred souls, whom a scholar instructed to leave his wicked land for an upright community where people worship Allah.

Migration in pursuit of knowledge and trade

From the paper: «ثالثًا: الهجرة لطلب العلم والتجارة»

Traveling to gain sacred learning and earn an honest living represents another vital form of migration in the Quran. The Quran pairs the journey to gain religious understanding directly with the struggle to defend the faith, directing a party from every group to venture forth and learn the religion so they can teach and warn their communities upon returning At-Tawbah 9:122, At-Tawbah 9:41, At-Tawbah 9:120. Ibn Ashur points out that this communal obligation to seek knowledge mirrors the communal duty of defense, preserving the intellectual and spiritual health of the community.

The paper cites hadiths confirming that whoever steps out in search of sacred learning walks in the path of Allah, escorted by angels spreading their wings in divine approval. The journey of Musa with the righteous servant al-Khidr exemplifies this spirit, as Musa declared his willingness to travel for decades through intense fatigue just to master a higher level of wisdom Al-Kahf 18:60-66, Fatir 35:28.

Similarly, traveling for lawful trade is sanctified in the Quran as seeking divine bounty Al-Mulk 67:15, Al-Jumu'ah 62:10. The Quran describes commercial travelers who strike out across the land alongside those who fight in Allah's cause Al-Muzzammil 73:20, showing that legitimate economic effort, when pursued with a pure intention, carries lofty spiritual status and serves as a valid justification for lightening the night prayer.

Migration of deeds

From the paper: «هجرة الأعمال»

Beyond physical travel, the Quran gives supreme importance to the migration of deeds and emotions. At the beginning of the prophetic mission, Allah commanded the Prophet to leave behind all defilement, which scholars explain as renouncing idols, corrupt morals, and all disobedience Al-Muddaththir 74:5, Al-Ahzab 33:1, Al-A'raf 7:142, Al-A'raf 7:134. As the paper notes, a hadith defines the true migrant as one who abandons what Allah has forbidden. Ibn Hajar divides migration into outward flight from trial and inward renunciation of unlawful desires.

When a believer is compelled by circumstances to share physical space with corrupt surroundings, they are commanded to migrate inwardly through their feelings and conduct:

• Practicing graceful departure: Allah directs believers to bear injuries with patience and practice a graceful parting that contains neither bitter reproach nor retaliation, all while continuing to invite people to truth Al-Muzzammil 73:10.
• Renouncing evil deeds: A believer must declare their innocence from sinful actions, just as the Prophet did Ash-Shu'ara 26:216, Ash-Shu'ara 26:215.
• Following prophetic role models: Ibrahim openly separated himself and his followers from the idolatry of his people Al-Mumtahanah 60:4, while Lut declared his intense revulsion for the shameful conduct of his society Ash-Shu'ara 26:168.

The emigrants

From the paper: «المهاجرون»

The Quran immortalizes the migrants as perpetual guides for humanity. When societies turned deaf ears to guidance, the prophets migrated to establish the call on fertile ground. Ibrahim endured persecution and fire before migrating toward his Lord, leaving family and homelands behind with complete reliance on divine guidance Al-Ankabut 29:16-17, Al-Ankabut 29:24, Al-Ankabut 29:26, As-Saffat 37:99, Ibrahim 14:37. Musa challenged Pharaoh's arrogance and led his people through the parted sea into safety to establish a just society Ta-Ha 20:24, Ad-Dukhan 44:18-21, Ad-Dukhan 44:23-24. Prophet Muhammad and his followers met severe torture, boycotts, and expulsion in Mecca until Allah directed them to build the nascent state in Medina Fussilat 41:26, Al-Anfal 8:30, At-Tawbah 9:40.

The Quran honors the early Companions who migrated, celebrating their sincerity and sacrifices At-Tawbah 9:100, Al-Hashr 59:8. They gave up ancestral homes and possessions for Allah's pleasure, earning the title of the truthful. Believers who were overtaken by death while striving to reach Medina received their complete reward directly from Allah An-Nisa 4:97, An-Nisa 4:100. Believers like Suhayb al-Rumi surrendered their entire fortunes to reach the Prophet, an exchange praised in the Quran as selling oneself for the pleasure of Allah Al-Baqarah 2:207, An-Nur 24:22, As-Sajdah 32:24.

Effects of migration for the sake of Allah

From the paper: «آثار الهجرة في سبيل الله»

Choosing to leave what is familiar for the sake of Allah yields tremendous benefits in both worlds. In this worldly life, Allah promises that those who migrate for His sake will find broad opportunities, refuge, and expanded provision An-Nisa 4:100. Ibrahim received righteous offspring and lasting honor Al-Ankabut 29:26-27, Maryam 19:49-50; Musa found family, safety, and support in Midian Al-Qasas 28:24-27; and the early Muslims transformed from hunted refugees into leaders blessed with abundance and victory over their oppressors An-Nahl 16:41, Al-Qasas 28:85.

In the hereafter, the rewards for migrating are incomparable:

• Gaining divine mercy: Migration is one of the clearest paths to Allah's forgiveness and mercy Al-Baqarah 2:218, At-Tawbah 9:20-21, An-Nahl 16:110.
• Expiation of sins: Enduring hardship and exile for faith clears away past errors and secures entrance into paradise gardens Ali 'Imran 3:195.
• Guaranteed reward upon death: Whoever passes away while undertaking the journey of migration receives the full recompense guaranteed by Allah An-Nisa 4:100, Al-Hajj 22:58-59.

Through these blessings, Allah proves that whoever parts with their home, comfort, or relationships for His sake will receive what is far sweeter, more lasting, and infinitely greater.

Takeaways

1. Guard your faith by evaluating your environment

   If your surroundings, friend circles, or community erode your ability to practice Islam and you cannot change them, look for ways to step away. True devotion requires seeking spaces where worship can breathe.

2. Practice inward migration when physical movement is impossible

   When you cannot physically change your living situation or workplace, separate yourself from wrongdoing through your heart and values, refusing to approve or participate in disobedience.

3. Withdraw gracefully without revenge

   When facing mockery or hostile remarks, follow the Quranic model of graceful departure by remaining calm, patient, and polite while refusing to adopt the ugly behavior of those around you.

4. Pursue beneficial learning as a form of sacred devotion

   Traveling, dedicating time, or making sacrifices to deepen your understanding of the faith carries immense spiritual rank, functioning alongside the greatest deeds of service.

5. Trust that whatever you leave for Allah will be replaced with better

   Departing from harmful habits, questionable wealth, or toxic relationships brings divine compensation through peace of heart, dignified living, and expansive forgiveness.

Reflect

• What habits, digital spaces, or social environments in your daily routine are eroding your commitment to Allah?
• If you find yourself stuck in a difficult environment right now, how can you practice the inward migration of the heart?
• When faced with offensive or mocking talk, do you respond in kind, or do you practice the Quranic standard of graceful departure?
• In what ways can you make sacrifices of time and comfort to seek deeper knowledge of the Quran and Sunnah?

Go deeper

Linguistic meaning

The root consists of two original foundations: one pointing toward severing and cutting, and the other toward tying and fastening firmly.

Technical meaning

Departing for the sake of Allah from the land of disbelief to the land of Islam, or from an area of severe trial to one of lesser trial, seeking safety in one's religion and self.

How it differs from related terms

الترك Leaving

Leaving means setting something aside in its location and departing from it, whereas migration involves leaving an environment or habit often while still carrying a human longing for what was left behind.

المتاركة Mutual Abandonment

Mutual abandonment entails leaving behind an affair along with any ongoing desire for it, whereas migration is a broader concept that may be accompanied by a natural desire to return.

القطيعة Severance of Ties

Severance refers specifically to terminating kindness and communication with kin, whereas migration involves departing a territory or practice for Allah's sake without necessarily requiring the cut-off of personal goodwill where faith permits.

الخروج Exiting

Exiting simply means moving from the inside of a boundary to the outside and can be morally blameworthy or praiseworthy, while migration is relocation that is almost exclusively praiseworthy in sacred law.

Every verse in the paper

All 73 verses the research paper discusses, grouped under its own headings.

Migration in Quranic usage «الهجرة في الاستعمال القرآني»

16:110, 4:89, 19:46, 73:10, 29:26, 25:30

Migration of place «هجرة المكان»

Migration from lands of war to lands of Islam «أولًا: الهجرة من دار الحرب إلى دار الإسلام»

29:56, 4:97-99

Migration from lands of innovation and sin to Sunnah «ثانيًا: الهجرة من أرض البدعة والمعصية إلى أرض السنة والطاعة»

29:56, 6:68, 4:140, 6:69

Migration in pursuit of knowledge and trade «ثالثًا: الهجرة لطلب العلم والتجارة»

9:122, 9:41, 9:120, 18:60-66, 35:28, 67:15, 62:10, 73:20

Migration of deeds «هجرة الأعمال»

Migration from sins to monotheism «أولًا: الهجرة من الآثام إلى التوحيد»

29:40, 10:98, 74:5, 33:1, 7:142, 7:134

Emotional migration from one's people «ثانيًا: هجرة القوم بالمشاعر»

73:10, 26:216, 26:215, 60:4, 26:168

The emigrants «المهاجرون»

The status of the emigrants «أولًا: منزلة المهاجرين»

14:37, 9:100

Emigrants among the prophets «ثانيًا: المهاجرون من الأنبياء»

29:16-17, 29:24, 29:26, 37:99, 20:24, 44:18-21, 44:23-24, 41:26, 8:30, 9:40

Emigrants among the companions «ثالثًا: المهاجرون من الصحابة»

9:100, 4:100, 4:97, 59:8, 24:22, 2:207, 32:24

Effects of migration for the sake of Allah «آثار الهجرة في سبيل الله»

Worldly effects «أولًا: الآثار الدنيوية»

4:100, 29:26-27, 19:49-50, 28:24-27, 16:41, 28:85

Effects in the hereafter «الآثار الأخروية»

2:218, 9:20-21, 16:110, 3:195, 4:100, 22:58-59

About this source

Volume

17

Research paper

«الهجرة» (Migration)

Read the full paper (Arabic)

Encyclopedia of Thematic Tafsir of the Noble Quran, published by the Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies.

This study guide summarizes the Arabic research paper. For full scholarly detail, refer to the original. This preview has not been reviewed yet.

Related topics

• The Earth الأرض
• The Ansar الأنصار
• Faith الإيمان
• Idolatry الشرك
• Fitnah الفتنة