dar al-harb (dār al-ḥarb)

(Language: Arabic)

Short Description: The abode of war; denotes the opposite of dār al-islām

Long Description: The abode of war; denotes the opposite of dār al-islām. In the second and third Islamic centuries, when Muslim states expanded their borders in a relatively short period of time, the jurists considered all lands under non-Muslim rule as belonging to dār al-ḥarb. This designation lost its meaning as the territorial expansion of Muslim states came to an end in later centuries.

Sources: Islam, Fundamentalism, and the Betrayal of Tradition, edited by Dr. Joseph Lumbard