Wa Alaikum Assalam Dear Brother,

 

Thank you for your question and for joining our live session.

 

This is a common question that is often addressed to our Ask the Scholar desk. Please find their reply below:

 

You are to be commended for your keen desire to follow the financial rules. We pray to Allah to make it easy for you to finance yourself and your family from lawful (halal) sources, amen.

 

Muslims can live in a non-Muslim country as long as they are allowed to practice the fundamental rituals of Islam.
If renting a house is not available, you can resort to banking mortgage providing that there is no Islamic finance facility available. As for insurance, it is permissible according to takaful (Islamic insurance). If that is not available, then insurance is permissible.

 

Responding to your question, Dr. Monzer Kahf, a prominent Muslim economist and counselor, stated:

 

As for the first question, Muslims who live in the West or non-Muslim country need not to move to any other countries unless the law prevents them from practicing the fundamentals of their religion. These are circumstances, economic and otherwise, that require many Muslim families to live in Western countries and they enjoy fair laws. The prohibition of riba (usury), like all other rulings of Shari`ah, is not intended to make life difficult, but rather to prevent injustice and make social life better and fairer.

 

The issue of housing and other necessities of life was discussed in several collective meetings of Shari`ah scholars and there are several Shari`ah opinions which conclude that decent housing, being a necessity for all families, can be obtained either by buying or renting and when one needs a residence, if renting is either not available or not suitable for financial or any other reasons, resorting to conventional banking mortgage is permissible provided there is no Islamic finance facility available.

 

The principle of necessity applies to all other matters. I believe that buying a car in Austria is not necessary unless it is required for work which is the main source of income (like plumbers who go from house to house with their load of tools and equipment).

 

Also housing may not be in some countries a real necessity if renting in decent areas is available at reasonable fares. What matters is that one should make his/her own judgment keeping in mind that the Questioner (Allah) is Most Knowledgeable.

 

Allah Almighty knows best.

 

I hope this helps answer your question.

 

Salam and please keep in touch.