In the current times with the Deen of Islam under intellectual attack, many who have been smitten by the thoughts of the colonial West regard Dar al-Islam as being a place that merely allows the rituals of Islam to be practised, and thus allowing Muslims to reside in a land where the Shari’ah is not implemented.

Dar al-Islam is in fact a Shari’i concept derived from the divine evidences. Dar al-Islam is the land which is governed by the laws of Islam and whose security (Aman) is maintained by the security of Islam, even if the majority of its inhabitants are non-Muslims. No one of the earlier or later scholars of the Ummah has disagreed with this.

The Prophet (SAW) said: “…If you see your enemy from the disbelievers, invite them to one of (the following) three and if they accept your offer do not fight them further: Invite them to Islam and if they accept ask them to relocate from Dar al-Kufr to Dar al-Islam, inform them that if they do so they will take similar to what the Muhajireen took. If they move to Dar ul-Muhajireen they will be eligible for this, otherwise they will be like the Muslim Bedouins living outside of Dar al-Islam and will get nothing from the Fai or the booty…..” [Muslim]

Thus, a prerequisite for Dar al-Islam to exist is the application of the laws of Islam in totality in a given land whereby the systems of Islam are implemented, as this was the reality of the land that the Messenger (SAW) was ruling over and instructed his companions to invite the disbelievers to.

The Prophet (SAW) said: “I disown every Muslim who settles among the mushrikeen.” [Abu Dawood]

Indeed the companions used to settle among the inhabitants of newly conquered lands, among whom were mushrikeen. However, those non-Muslims were classed as dhimmi’s (non-Muslims living in an Islamic State with legal protection) and they would pay the Jizya (tax levied on dhimmi’s), and the companions would implement the systems of Islam over them. Thus, the companions (RA) understood the Messenger’s rebuke of residing amongst the mushrikeen to be one of residing in a land where the laws of kufr are being implemented, and if the inhabitants of a particular land chose to reside in a land where the systems of kufr are being implemented then “..they will be like the Muslim Bedouins living outside of Dar al-Islam..”. There was no exception made by the Messenger of Allah (SAW) for a land that allowed Muslims to only practise certain Islamic rituals to become Dar al-Islam.

Therefore to conclude, the whole of the world is currently a household of kufr and the obligation upon the necks of the Muslims is to re-establish Dar al-Islam. Prayer, fasting, Hajj or any other ritual in and of itself will neither secure the Muslims nor discharge the obligation of ruling by Islam.

“Do they then seek the judgement of (the days of) ignorance? And who is better in judgement than Allah for a people who have firm belief?”

[Surah Al-Maa’idah, 5:50]