Dar Al-Islam And Dar Al-Harb: Its Definition and Significance

Dar Al-Islam And Dar Al-Harb: Its Definition and Significance

by :Ahmed
Khalil

Introduction 

In
his book, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World
Order, Samuel Huntington says:

People
are always tempted to divide people into us and them, the in-group
and the other, our civilization and those barbarians. Scholars
have analyzed the world in terms of the Orient and the Occident,
North and South, center and periphery. Muslims have traditionally
divided the world into Dar al-Islam and Dar al-Harb,
the abode of peace and the abode of war.[1]

Huntington identified
this concept as Muslim tradition. Others, particularly Christian
missionaries and polemics, however, have identified this concept
as theological. An uninformed Westerner views this classification
as a form of discrimination against those that have different beliefs.
Even among common Muslims, several controversial opinions arise
due to different understandings of what the terms Dar Al-Islam
and Dar Al-Harb mean.

Surprisingly, Islamic
terminology is full of many other classifications: Dar Al-‘Ahd
(Abode of Covenant), Dar Al-Sulh (Abode of Truce), Dar
Al-Maslubah (Abode of Pillaged Land), Dar Al-Bid’ah (Abode
of Heresy), Dar Al-Baghy (Abode of Usurpation), Dar Al-‘Adl
(Abode of Justice), Dar al-Kufr (Abode of Unbelief), et.
al. Yet, Western attention prefer to rather focus on the term
Dar Al-Harb (Abode of War).

Definition

According
to Prof. Muhammad Ishaq Zahid, founder of the Sabr Foundation, and
the creator of Islam101.Com, in The Glossary of Islamic Terms,
we have:

Dar
al-Harb

Dar
al-Harb (Domain of War) refers to the territory under the hegemony
of unbelievers, which is on terms of active or potential belligerency
with the Domain of Islam, and presumably hostile to the Muslims
living in its domain.[2]

To understand the
classification, it is necessary to understand the sources of the
concept. To do this, we need to touch upon the sources of Islam.

Understanding
The Sources 

In
his book, Fundamentals of Islam, Sayyid Abul A'la Al-Mawdudi
classifies Islam as Din (faith) and Shari’ah (Islamic
law). The sources of Shari’ah are: the Holy Quran and the
Hadith.[3] Al-Mawdudi then describes
these sources, saying:

The
Qur'an is a divine revelation - each and every word of it is from
Allah. The Hadith is a collection of the instructions issued or
the memoirs of the last Prophet's conduct and behaviour, as preserved
by those who were present in his company or those to whom these
were handed down by the first witnesses. These were later sifted
and collected by divines and compiled in the form of books among
which the collections made by Malik, Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi,
Abu Dawud, Nasa'i and Ibn Majah are considered to be the most
authentic.[3]

Derived
from the Shari’ah is Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), defined
by Al-Mawdudi as

Detailed
law derived from the Qur'an and the Hadith covering the myriad
of problems that arise in the course of man's life...[3]

Throughout
time, several religious scholars and legislators have devoted their
lives to the science of Fiqh, but four Madhaheb (schools
of thought) persist till today:

1. “Fiqh Hanafi: This is the Fiqh compiled by Abu Hanifa
   Nu'man bin Thabit with the assistance and cooperation of Abu
   Yusuf Mahammad, Zufar and others, all of whom had high religious
   attainments to their credit. This is known as the Hanafi School
   of Fiqh.
2. Fiqh Maliki: This Fiqh was derived
   by Malik bin Anas Asbahi.
3. Fiqh Shafi'i: Founded by Muhammad
   bin Idris al-Shafi'i.
4. Fiqh Hanbali: Founded by Ahmad bin
   Hanbal.”[3]

According
to Shaikh (scholar) Abdul-Aziz Bin Baz, former Grand Mufti and Chief
Cleric of Saudi Arabia, the Maliki and Hanafi Madhaheb
were introduced and widely spread in the 2^nd Century
Hijri (Islamic lunar calendar, started 622 AD). The Shafi’i
and Hanbali Madhaheb were introduced and spread in the 3^rd
Century Hijri.[4]

In
a program on Al-Jazeera Channel, Al-Shari’ah Wal-Hayah (Islamic
Law and Life), dated Sunday May 9^th 1999, Shaikh (scholar)
Yusuf Al-Qaradawi noted that the concept of Dar Al-Harb (Abode
of War) was introduced in the Fiqh Hanafi. Al-Imam (the legislator
and scholar) Abu Hanifa divided the Muslim role into two categories:
Dar Al-Islam (Abode of Islam) and Dar Al-Harb (Abode
of War). He would refer to any non-Muslim domain as Dar Al-Kufr
(Abode of Unbelief) or Dar Al-Harb even if there is no current
war between them and the Muslims.[5]
According to him a country or a territory becomes a Dar Al-Islam
if:

(a)    The Muslims must be able to enjoy peace and security; and

(b)   It has common frontiers with some Muslim countries (other Dar Al-Islam)
[6]

However,
the concept of Dar Al-Harb and Dar Al-Islam are not
explained in the Qur'an or Sunnah (tradition of the Holy
Prophet ^(P)),
says the majority of scholars. It is, in fact, a result of Ijtihad
(religious endeavour), which is a terminology used to describe religious
endeavour to exercise personal judgement based on the Qur'an and
the Sunnah.[2]

Historical
Conditions

It
is indispensable to view the historical environment of the time,
and of the centuries that followed the spread of this classification
concept. In an article, titled, “Muslims as Co-Citizens of the
West… Rights, Duties & Prospects”, Murad Wildfried Hofmann
says:

Due
to its structural tolerance vis-à-vis ‘peoples of the book’, the
Muslim world has always been multireligious. Islam expanded into
formerly Christian territories-the Near East, North Africa, Spain,
Byzantium, the Balkans-without eliminating the Christian communities.
Nowhere is this more evident than in Cairo, Damascus, and Istanbul,
and in countries like Greece and Serbia. This situation was facilitated
by the fact that the Qur'an contains what may be called an ‘Islamic
Christology’. Coexistence with the large Jewish populations within
the Muslim empire-aside from the Near East in Muslim Spain, and
subsequently in North Africa and the Ottoman Empire-was facilitated,
in turn, by the extraordinary focus of the Qur'an on Jewish prophets
in general and Moses in particular. On this basis, Islamic jurisprudence
developed the world's first liberal law called al-siyar
for the status of religious minorities (al-dhimmi). In
the Western world, developments were entirely different. Here,
religious intolerance became endemic, even between Christian churches;
many sects were outlawed (as during the first Ecumenical Council
in Nicaea, in 325), massacred (e.g., the Donatists in North Africa
in the 5th century and the Albigenses and Cathari in the thirteenth
century), subdued as victims of a ‘crusade’ (Constantinople in
1205), or deserted (like Orthodox East Rome during the siege by
Sultan Fatih in 1453). In Germany, a war lasting thirty years
between Protestant and Catholic princes decimated the population
(1618-1648).

Under
these circumstances and fuelled by the Church dictum extra
ecclesia nullum salus (no salvation outside the church), even
minimal tolerance of Muslims could not be expected. The expulsion
of both Muslims and Jews from Spain in the sixteenth century-the
first case of ‘ethnic cleansing’ in modern history-made Europe
virtually ‘Muslim-free.’ There was interaction between the two
camps-trade, scientific penetration, diplomatic missions-but no
living Muslim presence in the Occident until the twentieth century.[6]

With
this historical perspective in light, it was deemed vital that concepts
of distinction between safe and unsafe, Islamic and non-Islamic
be pertained. Based on the universality of the Islamic belief, that
Muhammad^(P)
was sent to the whole World:

“We
sent thee not, but as a Mercy for all creatures.”

--
21. Al–Anbiya’: 107 (Abdullah Yusuf Ali).

Based
on the firm belief of enjoying the right to exercise one’s own religion
anywhere, without compulsion:

"Let
there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from
Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in God hath grasped the
most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And God heareth and
knoweth all things."

--
2. Al-Baqarah: 256 (Abdullah Yusuf Ali).

Hence,
the vitality and necessity of having clearly defined labels that
would ensure the protection and uplifting of the Muslim Ummah (nation).
However, pertaining to Ijtihad (religious endeavour), there
is no holiness or Divinity to the classification. The social, economic,
and environmental circumstances of the time and location create
certain needs that arise and need be fulfilled. That is why the
door to Ijtihad (religious endeavour) is always open in Islam.
Speaking of the four Madhaheb, Al-Mawdudi says:

All
of these were given their final form within two hundred years
of the time of the Prophet. The differences that appear in the
four schools are but the natural outcome of the fact that truth
is many-sided. When different persons employ themselves in interpreting
a given event, they come out with different explanations according
to their own lights. What gives these various schools of thought
the authenticity that is associated with them is the unimpeachable
integrity of their respective founders and the authenticity of
the method they adopted.[3]

Times
Have Changed 

As a result of
elapsed time, social, economic and environmental circumstances have
changed, especially in the last century. With that in mind, Murad
Wildfried Hofmann says:

Under
these conditions, contemporary Muslims may well pose themselves
the question already posed in Spain 500 years ago, i.e., Is it
permissible for a Muslim to take up residence in what has been
labelled Dar al-Harb or Dar al-Kufr? This question was
discussed in considerable depth when Spanish Muslims, overrun
by the Reconquista, chose to stay, and even before this event,
because the Prophet sent a group of Makkan Muslims to Christian
Ethiopia (615-622). Some of the 'ulama [scholars], including Imam
Abu Hanifa, disapproved of permanent Muslim residence in non-Muslim
territory. Imam Shafi'i, on the other hand, believed that Muslims
could stay behind in former Muslim lands, provided that they could
practice Islam and were not subject to Christian missionary efforts.
In contrast to that, already in the eighth century, Imam Jafar
al-Sadiq underlined that Muslims might serve Islam better when
living among non-Muslims than when living only with Muslims. Al-Mawardi
concurred with this opinion in the eleventh century. Later on
the Hanifa madhhab became even more liberal. It accepted
the idea that there might be pockets of dar al-Islam inside
non-Muslim territories; in addition, they were ready to exempt
emigrant Muslims from observing certain parts of the shari'ah
if this seemed necessary because of ikrah (compulsion),
durura (hardship), or maslaha (benefit).[6]

Today’s
Classification

Today,
majority of Islamic scholars agree upon a classification into three.
Shaikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi says, on Al-Shari’ah Wal-Hayah (Islamic
Law and Life), Al-Jazeera Channel, dated Tuesday February 6^th
2001, these three categories are:

• Dar Al-Islam: The abode of Islam,
  the Muslim nation.
• Dar Al-Harb: The abode of war,
  those that have declared war against the Muslim nation.
• Dar Al-‘Ahd: The abode of covenant,
  the countries that have diplomatic agreements and covenants with
  the Muslim nation.[5] 

The
concept of Dar Al-‘Ahd (Abode of Covenant) is obtained from
the judicial rulings of manslaughter, as outlined in the Quran:

“Never
should a believer kill a believer; but (If it so happens) by mistake,
(Compensation is due): If one (so) kills a believer, it is ordained
that he should free a believing slave, and pay compensation to the
deceased's family, unless they remit it freely. If the deceased
belonged to a people at war with you, and he was a believer, the
freeing of a believing slave (Is enough). If he belonged to a
people with whom ye have treaty of Mutual alliance, compensation
should be paid to his family, and a believing slave be freed. For
those who find this beyond their means, (is prescribed) a fast for
two months running: by way of repentance to God: for God hath all
knowledge and all wisdom.”

--
3. Al-Nisa’: 92 (Abdullah Yusuf Ali).

The
indication is in the words “…a people with
whom ye have treaty of Mutual alliance…” In fact, Allah
commands us to ordain to the covenant that was agreed upon with
the disbelievers:

“(But
the treaties are) not dissolved with those Pagans with whom ye have
entered into alliance and who have not subsequently failed you in
aught, nor aided any one against you. So fulfil your engagements
with them to the end of their term: for God loveth the righteous.”

--
9. Al-Tawba: 4 (Abdullah Yusuf Ali).

“…
As long as these stand true to you, stand ye true to them: for God
doth love the righteous.”

--
9. Al-Tawba: 7 (Abdullah Yusuf Ali).

The
concept of the Dar Al-Harb (Abode of War) gets its indications
from the clear line that was drawn for just and kind treatment:

“[60:1]
O ye who believe! Take not my enemies and yours as friends (or protectors),-
offering them (your) love, even though they have rejected the Truth
that has come to you, and have (on the contrary) driven out the
Prophet and yourselves (from your homes), (simply) because ye believe
in God your Lord! …”

“[60:8]
God forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not
for (your) Faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly
and justly with them: for God loveth those who are just.

[60:9]
God only forbids you, with regard to those who fight you for (your)
Faith, and drive you out of your homes, and support (others) in
driving you out, from turning to them (for friendship and protection).
It is such as turn to them (in these circumstances), that do wrong.”

--
60. Al–Mumtahina: 8, 9 (Abdullah Yusuf Ali).

Conclusion 

In
conclusion, it is fair to say that the door of Ijtihad (religious
endeavour) is always open. The Islamic decrees that are introduced
through Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) into the Shari’ah
(Islamic law) are reflective of the social, economic, and environmental
circumstances of the time. These circumstances change as time continuously
elapses. Corresponding to the change, the Shari’ah (Islamic
law) is updated as new decrees are introduced with the appearance
of newer issues. The key condition is compliance with the Qur'an
and Sunnah (tradition of the Holy Prophet^(P)).
In this light, the former concept of classification is updated to
include Dar Al-‘Ahd (Abode of covenant) to include the other
nations that hold covenants and diplomatic agreements with Dar
Al-Islam (Abode of Islam).

And
God knows best.

Doing Quran recitation is the religious duty of every Muslim.  In saheed Sunnah, it is encouraged to do the recitation of Quran in a melodious voice by the holy Quran reciter by making the voice more melodious and interesting. Reading quran and Making it melodious does not mean that it should be made more in singing tone but once should at least recite and read quranic Arabic in a good tone so that he/she himself feels good while listening to it and others also feel good while listening to it.