Dar Ul Islam

Dār al-Islām and Dār al-Harb

The term dar al-islam, which literally means “the house or abode of Islam,” came to signify Islamic territory in juridical discussions. For the majority, it is thus suggestive of a geopolitical unit, in which Islam is established as the religion of the state, in contrast to dar al-harb, territory not governed by Islam. The signs of legitimacy by which one could speak of a geopolitical unit as dar al-Islam would include a ruler or ruling class whose self-identity is Islamic, some institutional mechanisms by which consultation between the political and religious elite is possible, and a commitment to engage in political and military struggle to extend the borders of the dar al-islam… The term dar al-harb, which literally means “the house or abode of war,” came to signify in classical jurisprudence a geopolitical reality; hence, it may also be rendered the “territory” of war.

          The technical meanings of dar al-Islam and its associated terms are not found in the two primary sources of Islamic law, the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).. The term dar al-Islam appears in the Holy Qur'an and in that regard Almighty Allah says:
﴿لَهُمْ دَارُ السَّلَامِ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ وَهُوَ وَلِيُّهُمْ بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ﴾
For them will be a Home of Peace with their Lord: He will be their Friend, because they practiced (righteousness).
Technically, according to Imam al-Kāsānī, dar al-Islām is the territory where Islamic Law is implemented. Dār al-harb is the territory under the effective control of non-Mulims in which they implement their own laws. It will remain dār al-harb even if Muslims inhabit it when they are not capable of implementing Islamic Law. Hence, the real distinguishing factor between dar al-Islām and dār al-harb is whether or not Islamic Law is actually or potentially implemented there. As to when a dar al-Islām   converts into dār al-harb and vice verse there is a difference of...