Ruling on travelling from a country where the Ebola virus is widespread

Firstly: 

Ebola is a viral disease that leads to haemorrhagic fever; it
results from infection with one of five types of the Ebola virus. It leads
to death in between twenty-five and ninety percent of those infected,
depending on the type of virus. The symptoms of this disease include: fever,
headache, vomiting, diarrhoea, severe fatigue, rash; bleeding from the eyes,
nose, mouth and anus; swelling of the genitalia. 

The name of the disease – Ebola – is taken from the name of
the place where the first outbreak occurred, in Yambuku in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, where it appeared in a village on the banks of the
Ebola river, so it was named after the river. 

This disease is sometimes transmitted to humans from animals,
and sometimes from other humans. As for its transmission via animals, it
occurs as the result of touching the animal that is infected with Ebola;
this includes its limbs, secretions and bodily fluids. Cases of infection
via contact with a number of infected animals have been recorded, such as
fruit bats, chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys and deer. 

With regard to transmission from humans, that results from
direct contact with the blood, secretions or semen of an infected person, or
even with his corpse after his death. For more information on this epidemic,
please see the following link: 

http://goo.gl/GVLS2R 

Secondly: 

There are hadiths from the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) that forbid the Muslim to enter a land in which the
plague is occurring, and also forbid him to leave a land in which the plague
is occurring. 

Al-Bukhaari (5739) and Muslim (2219) narrated from ‘Abd
ar-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I heard
the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say: “If
you hear that it (the plague) is in a land, do not go there, and if it
breaks out in a land where you are, do not leave, fleeing from it.” 

Al-Bukhaari (3473) and Muslim (2218) narrated that Usaamah
ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The plague is a calamity
(or a punishment) that was sent upon the Children of Israel, or upon those
who came before you. If you hear of it in some land, do not go there, and if
it breaks out in a land where you are, do not leave, fleeing from it.” 

It was said that what is meant by the word taa‘oon
(translated here as plague) is a specific disease that is known to the
scholars and doctors. It was also said that it refers to any widespread
disease (epidemic) that leads to the death of many people. 

These hadiths indicate that the prohibition applies
specifically to one who leaves the land where the plague or epidemic is
occurring, fleeing from it. As for one who leaves for another purpose, such
as trade, study or work, the prohibition does not apply to him. 

This differentiation was noted by more than one of the
scholars; in fact some of them narrated that the scholars were unanimously
agreed on that. 

An-Nawawi said in Sharh Saheeh Muslim: 

Taa‘oon (plague) refers to boils that appear on the body.

As for waba’ (epidemic), al-Khaleel and others said that it
refers to the plague. Others said that it refers to any widespread disease.
The correct view, as noted by the scholars, is that it is any sickness that
affects many people in one part of the land, but not all of it; differs from
ordinary diseases in the large number of people affected and in other ways;
and where they are all affected by the same kind of sickness, unlike at
other times, when people suffer from different kinds of sickness. 

These hadiths indicate that it is prohibited to go to the
land where the plague is occurring, and to leave that land, fleeing from
it. 

As for leaving it for a need that arises, there is nothing
wrong with that. 

The scholars are agreed that it is permissible to leave for
work and other purposes, apart from fleeing from it. The evidence for that
is the apparent meaning of the hadiths. End quote. 

Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said in at-Tamheed (21/183):

This indicates that it is permissible to leave at that time,
from the place where the plague is occurring, for ordinary travel, if the
aim is not to flee from the plague. End quote. 

Ibn Muflih said in al-Adaab ash-Shar‘iyyah (3/367): 

If the plague breaks out in a land where you are not, then do
not go to it. And if you are in that land, do not leave it, because of the
famous saheeh report to that effect. What is meant by entering or leaving it
is doing so for no reason except to flee from it. Otherwise it is not
prohibited. End quote. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said in Sharh Riyadh as-Saaliheen
(6/569):

The plague is a lethal epidemic – we seek refuge with Allah.
Some of the scholars said that it is a particular type of epidemic, and it
refers to sores and boils on the body of the afflicted person… And it was
said that taa‘oon (plague) is a word that applies to any kind of epidemic
that spreads rapidly, such as cholera and the like. This is more likely to
be correct, because even if that is not included in the wording of the
hadith, it is included in the meaning. In the event of any epidemic that
spreads rapidly, it is not permissible for anyone to travel to the land
where this epidemic has broken out, and if it breaks out when you are in
that land, then do not leave, fleeing from it. 

As for a person leaving that land, not to flee from it, but
because he came to that land for a reason and has finished what he went
there to do, and wants to return to his own land, there is nothing wrong
with him doing so. End quote. 

He also said in ash-Sharh al-Mumti‘ (1/110-111): With
regard to the plague, is it permissible for a person to leave a land if it
breaks out there? 

The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:
“do not leave – that is, do not leave the land where the outbreak has
occurred – fleeing from it.” So the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) limited the prohibition on leaving to cases where one does so in
order to flee from it. But if someone came to that land for some purpose or
for business, and has finished what he came there to do, and he wants to go
back to his own land, then we do not say: This is prohibited for you. Rather
we say: You may leave. End quote. 

In Fath al-Baari (10/1990), al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may
Allah have mercy on him) discussed this matter in more detail, and said that
there are three scenarios with regard to leaving a land in which the plague
is occurring: 

1.    

When a person leaves in order to flee from it, and not
for any other purpose. This is undoubtedly included in the prohibition.

2.    

When he leaves for a purpose other than fleeing from it,
such as work and the like. This is not included in the prohibition, and this
is the category concerning the permissibility of which an-Nawawi narrated
that there was scholarly consensus.

3.    

When a person leaves for the purpose of work or
otherwise, but adds to that the aim of being safe from the epidemic. The
scholars differed concerning this, but al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar stated that the
view of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allah be pleased with him) was that it is
permissible to leave in this case. 

This was the view favoured by Imam al-Bukhaari, as he
included a chapter in his Saheeh entitled “One who leaves a land the
climate of which does not suit him”, in which he quoted the hadith of the
‘Arniyyeen, and cited it as evidence for that being permissible. In this
hadith it says that some people came to the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) in Madinah, and declared their Islam, but they fell sick
because of the climate of Madinah, as it did not suit them. The Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) instructed them to drink the milk
and urine of camels as a remedy for that, and they went out of the city
because those camels were at pasture. 

Al-Bukhaari quoted that hadith before quoting the hadith
which mentions the prohibition on leaving the land where the plague is
occurring, fleeing from it. Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said, commenting on that:

With regard to the words “Chapter on One who leaves a land
the climate of which does not suit him”, it is as if he was indicating that
the hadith that he narrated after that, concerning the prohibition on
leaving a land where there is an outbreak of the plague, is not to be
understood in terms of its general meaning; rather it is restricted to those
who leave, fleeing from it, as we will see below, in sha Allah. End quote.

Conclusion:

If you are leaving this land in order to go back to work, it
is permissible according to scholarly consensus, because the aim thereof is
not to flee from the epidemic; rather it is travel that is was already
planned and intended for the sake of work.

And Allah knows best.