Assalaamu alaykum. I am currently living in the land of disbelief. I have done serious, disgusting, evil, major sins for years, and it has destroyed my moral! I abandoned the prayer for years. I am fed up with the way I am living and leading my life. I want to change my life ASAP for the sake of Allaah, The Exalted! I am going to go and live in a Muslim land. My questions are:
1) Is this like making Hijrah (emigration), and will I be rewarded?
2) Could this be a means of forgiveness for me? As you know from the hadith of the man who killed 99 people, he was told to go to such-and-such place, and he was told that he would find people devoted to prayer and worship of Allaah there and that he should join them in worship and not go back to his land because it was an evil place. This person did not repent or ask for forgiveness; then on his way he was overtaken by death, and by the mercy of Allaah, The Exalted, the angel of mercy took him. Could making this Hijrah be a means for my forgiveness from Allaah, The Exalted, as well as a means of change? Please enlighten me. May Allaah, The Exalted reward and bless you. Assalaamu alaykum.

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

First of all, you are obliged to immediately repent to Allaah from those grave, major sins that you had committed, among which is abandoning the prayer. Some scholars are of the view that a person who abandons the prayer, even out of laziness, goes out of the fold of Islam. A person who abandons the prayer is more likely to abandon other Islamic obligations. Please refer to fatwas 86918 and 86527.

A person in your case is obliged to migrate. The scholars stated that a person who fears to be tempted (in his religion) is obliged to migrate from the non-Muslim land. Please refer to Fatwa 86405.

Hijrah (Migration) is one of the greatest acts of worship by which one gets closer to Allaah. If a person migrates while seeking the pleasure of Allaah, he will get a great reward.

‘Umar narrated that the Prophet said, “Indeed, actions are judged according to their intentions, and every person will get the reward of what he has intended. Whoever migrates for the Sake of Allaah and His Prophet, then his Hijrah is for the Sake of Allaah and His Prophet…” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

An-Munaawi said in At-Tayseer bi Sharh Al-Jaami’ As-Sagheer, “His words 'whoever migrates for…’; meaning moving out of the land of disbelief, ‘for the Sake of Allaah and His Prophet’; i.e. intending and being determined, then ‘his Hijrah’ with his body and senses to ‘Allaah and His Prophet’ in reward…”

Hijrah from the land of disbelief to the land of Islam fleeing with one’s religion is a great means to gain the forgiveness of Allaah, to rectify oneself, and to remain steadfast on the religion.

Allaah knows best.