Muslim Jurists’ Criteria for the Division of the World into Dar al-Harb and Dar al-Islam

Abstract

There is disagreement over the definition of dar al-Islam and dar al-harb between classical and contemporary jurists. Different authors have laid down different criteria; we find different opinions even within the same school; and at times variations may even be found with regard to the same author and/or in the same treatise. Some jurists give preference to Islamic law, while other focus on the safety of Muslims. The majority accepts that dar al-Islam can be transformed into dar al-harb, while Ibn Hajar holds that a territory belonging to dar al-Islam will never lose its status. There is also divergence on the question whether the world is divided into two or three categories.