#Side_Benefits@madrasatunaa

Summary of the Issue: Determining Whether a Land is a Land of Disbelief or a Land of Islam In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon the trustworthy Prophet, his family, all his companions, and those who follow his guidance until the Day of Judgment. The discussion about judging our Islamic lands – may Allah honour them – as either a "Land of Disbelief" or a "Land of Islam" has recently taken up a lot of scholars' effort and caused confusion among the ignorant. This issue has led to misunderstandings and missteps. We ask Allah for safety. This disagreement is old, not new. I wanted to contribute a small part to this matter, hoping Allah will reward me. We ask Allah for sincerity and acceptance. Now to the topic: First: Why people disagree about this issue today People have split into three opinions on describing their lands as Islam or disbelief: 1. These lands are absolutely a "Land of Disbelief." 2. They are a mix of disbelief and Islam. 3. These lands are absolutely a "Land of Islam." The main reason for their disagreement goes back to: · Disagreement on ruling by man-made laws: Those who say any ruler who judges by other than what Allah revealed is a disbeliever (without details) judge the land as a Land of Disbelief. Those who make the well-known detailed ruling say these are Islamic lands. · Disagreement on the limit that turns a Land of Islam into a Land of Disbelief: Some scholars tie the ruling to the ruler. Others tie it to what is dominant in the land (Muslim control vs. non-Muslim control). Second: The limit that defines a Land of Islam vs. a Land of Disbelief A Land of Islam is any place under Muslim control, sovereignty, dominance, and security. Muslims are the ones with power and strength. Islamic rituals are visible, like prayers, the call to prayer (Adhan), congregational prayers, Friday prayers, Eid prayers, building masjids, Hajj, and other Islamic practices – without anyone stopping or forbidding them. A Land of Disbelief is the opposite. A "Land of Islam" does not mean it is completely free of major sins, disobedience, or oppression. These things do not remove a land from being Islamic. Scholars do not rule that a Land of Islam becomes a Land of Disbelief simply because it is no longer under Muslim protection, as long as the Muslim residents can freely show their Islamic rituals without fear or prevention, and they are the vast majority. This is what scholars like As-Sarakhsi, Al-Hasfaki, Ad-Dusouqi, Ash-Shawkani, As-San'ani, Ibn Taymiyyah, and many other modern Sunni scholars have said. This is the opinion of the majority of Sunni scholars. Examples: Even though scholars ruled that the Fatimids (Ubaydiyyun) were disbelievers, they did not consider Egypt a Land of Disbelief when under their rule. Similarly, the city of Arghun was not ruled a Land of Disbelief even though it was under non-Muslim control, because Muslims had dominance and security and could practice their religion freely. Also, Sheikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah's ruling on Mardin follows this. A land becomes a Land of Islam if it is under Muslim control, whether Muslims live there or not, and whether Islamic law is applied or not. For example, the Druze mountain area was not ruled by Islamic law, yet it was still called a Land of Islam. Likewise, lands given to non-Muslims under protection (dhimmis) are still considered part of the Land of Islam because they are under Muslim authority. Khaybar was inhabited by non-Muslims but under Muslim rule. The majority opinion defines a Land of War (Dar Al-Harb) as: if Islamic rituals or most of them disappear from a land and Muslim authority is gone, it becomes a Land of War. If Islamic rituals or most of them are established, it remains a Land of Islam – even if a non-Muslim ruler dominates it.