ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses both classical religious interpretation and application of hijra and examines the question of how hijra was redefined by modern Islamic thinkers with the advent of Muslim migration for labor to non-Muslim lands. It aims to set the foundations for an understanding of the regulation of labor and, labor migration, as actual national labor laws in Muslim-populated countries that apply to both national and migrant workers lack many of the basic elements of an appropriate system of labor regulation. The chapter highlights the importance of the conception and practice of hijra, or migration, in the Islamic tradition by highlighting its religious value as well as its evolution into a socioeconomic activity motivated by political and economic oppression and deprivation. Islam is regarded as a way of life, that is, a worldview that offers a comprehensive value system to guide believers in every aspect of their lives.
