Divisions of the world in Islam

In classical Islamic law, the two major divisions of the world are dar al-Islam (lit. 'territory of Islam'), and dar al-harb (lit. 'territory of war'). Dar al-Islam denotes lands under Islamic rule and dar al-harb denotes lands under non-Muslim rule. Muslims regard Islam as a universal religion and believe it to be the rightful law for all humankind. According to Islam, this should first be attempted peacefully through Dawah. In the case of war, Muslims are imposed to eliminate fighters until they surrender or seek peace and pay the Jizya if subdued.

The Arabic singular form dar (دار), translated literally, may mean "house", "abode", "structure", "place", "land", or "country". In Islamic jurisprudence it often refers to a part of the world. The notions of "houses" or "divisions" of the world in Islam such as dar al-Islam and dar al-harb does not appear in the Quran or the hadith. According to Abou El Fadl, the only dars the Quran speaks of are "the abode of the Hereafter and the abode of the earthly life, with the former described as clearly superior to the latter".

Early Islamic jurists devised these terms to denote legal rulings for ongoing Muslim conquests almost a century after Muhammad. The first use of the terms was in Iraq by Abu Hanifa and his disciples Abu Yusuf and Al-Shaybani. Among those in the Levant, Al-Awza'i was leading in this discipline and later Al-Shafi'i.

The concept of dar al-harb has been affected by historical changes such as the political fragmentation of the Muslim world. The theoretical distinction between dar al-Islam and dar al-harb is widely considered inapplicable, and many contemporary Islamic jurists regard the Western world as part of the former, since Muslims can freely practise and proselytize their faith in Western countries. The Qur’an directs Muslims to spread the message of Islam worldwide declaring it to be a religion for all humankind.