Sulh
Sulh (
Usage
In
Ṣulḥ, in its sense of conflict mediation, has always been an important means of resolving disputes. In the Middle Ages, qadis could ratify an amicable settlement reached by litigants.[4] It is still common in rural areas where governmental systems of justice have little force.[3]
In Muslim political thought
In the early days of the Islamic Empire, ṣulḥ, in the sense of "treaty" or "armistice," typically meant that a region had "surrendered on terms" or similarly during the Ottoman retreat it preceded a region's independence. Typically, it signified an area that was ruled and administered by its local political structure but acknowledged itself as a subject through the payment of tribute.[1]
In the Muslim world view on divisions of the world the region called the Dār al-‘Ahd (دار العهد, "house of truce") or Dār aṣ-Ṣulḥ (دار الصلح, "house of treaty") or Dār al-Hudna (دار الهدنة, "house of calm") was seen as an intermediate to Dār al-Islām (دار الإسلام, "house/abode of Islam"), or Dār as-Salām (دار السلام, "house/abode of Peace"), and Dār al-Ḥarb (دار الحرب, "house of war").
Dār aṣ-Ṣulḥ, was then seen as non-Muslim territory that had concluded an armistice with Muslims, and had agreed to protect Muslims and their clients and interests within its borders. Often this implied a tributary situation, however modern writings also include friendly countries in Dār aṣ-Ṣulḥ. By no means was this particular division, however, recognized by all Muslim jurists, and due to historical changes these concepts have little significance today.[5]
See also
- Aman (Islam) or amān, assurance of security or clemency granted to enemies who seek protection
- List of Islamic terms in Arabic
- Tahdia, Arabic for "calming" or "quieting"; stands for calming down on hostilities but not a complete stop to them
Footnotes
- ^ a b Lewis, (1991), pg 78-80
- ISBN 9780804752251.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-803348-6.
- ISSN 0997-1327.
- ISBN 0-19-512559-2, pg 62-62 [1]
References
- Lewis, Bernard, The Political Language of Islam, University of Chicago Press, 1991,
- Tillier, Mathieu (ed.). Arbitrage et conciliation dans l’Islam médiéval et moderne, in Revue des mondes musulmans et de la Méditerranée, 140 (2016).