Sulh
Encyclopedia
Sulh (solh, sulh) is an Arabic word which means "peace" as opposed to war. It is derived from the same root as Arabic word musalaha
meaning reconciliation.
. In the early days of the Islamic Empire
, it typically meant that a region had "surrendered on terms" or similarly during the Ottoman
retreat it preceded a regions 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
.
In Classical Political terms, "nations" were not conceptualized as being divided between geographically located peoples but rather between confessional communities
. This arose from the Muslims regarding themselves as one nation, ummah
under one ruler khalifa
,a reality that was also experienced during the founding centuries of Islam. This Muslim world view on divisions of the world, that were intrinsically locked in conflict gave rise to a concept known as either Dar al-'Ahd (Arabic: دار العهد "house of truce") or Dar al-Sulh ("house of treaty") or Dar al Hudna (Arabic: "house of calm"), which was seen as an intermediate to Dar al-Islam (Arabic: دار الإسلام literally house/abode of Islam; or Dar as-Salam, house/abode of Peace) and Dar al-Harb (Arabic: دار الحرب "house of war").
Dar al-Sulh, 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 Dar al-Sulh. By no means, was this particular division however recognized by all Muslim jurists. Like all other classical legal concepts, these concepts of houses have been affected by historical changes and the fragmentation of the Muslims world into numerous states and modern treaties and laws, leaving the concepts with little significance today.
Musalaha
Musalaha is a non-profit organization that works towards reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians based on the Biblical principles of peace, justice, and love. The name Musalaha comes from the Arabic word for 'reconciliation'...
meaning reconciliation.
Usage
In Quranic Arabic, sulh is used as a term signifying an agreement or settlement over a property dispute and retains this sense in later Islamic legal usage. In Bedouin customary law, it can signify a settlement of a tribal feud and in modern Arabic usage, it is applied to treaties, such as the sulh Versailles (Treaty of Versailles). In general, it reflects a sense of resolution of conflict through negotiation.In Muslim Political thought
Sulh is a treaty or armistice, similar to hudnaHudna
Hudna is an Arabic term meaning a temporary "truce" or "armistice" as well as "calm" or "quiet", coming from a verbal root meaning "calm". It is sometimes translated as "cease-fire"...
. In the early days of the Islamic Empire
Caliphate
The term caliphate, "dominion of a caliph " , refers to the first system of government established in Islam and represented the political unity of the Muslim Ummah...
, it typically meant that a region had "surrendered on terms" or similarly during the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
retreat it preceded a regions 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
Tribute
A tribute is wealth, often in kind, that one party gives to another as a sign of respect or, as was often the case in historical contexts, of submission or allegiance. Various ancient states, which could be called suzerains, exacted tribute from areas they had conquered or threatened to conquer...
.
In Classical Political terms, "nations" were not conceptualized as being divided between geographically located peoples but rather between confessional communities
Confessional community
A confessional community is a group of people with similar religious beliefs.In the Ottoman Empire, this allowed people to be grouped by religious confession as opposed to nationality or ethnicity, which was more consistent with the existing social structure. People were able to represent...
. This arose from the Muslims regarding themselves as one nation, ummah
Ummah
Ummah is an Arabic word meaning "community" or "nation." It is commonly used to mean either the collective nation of states, or the whole Arab world...
under one ruler khalifa
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
,a reality that was also experienced during the founding centuries of Islam. This Muslim world view on divisions of the world, that were intrinsically locked in conflict gave rise to a concept known as either Dar al-'Ahd (Arabic: دار العهد "house of truce") or Dar al-Sulh ("house of treaty") or Dar al Hudna (Arabic: "house of calm"), which was seen as an intermediate to Dar al-Islam (Arabic: دار الإسلام literally house/abode of Islam; or Dar as-Salam, house/abode of Peace) and Dar al-Harb (Arabic: دار الحرب "house of war").
Dar al-Sulh, 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 Dar al-Sulh. By no means, was this particular division however recognized by all Muslim jurists. Like all other classical legal concepts, these concepts of houses have been affected by historical changes and the fragmentation of the Muslims world into numerous states and modern treaties and laws, leaving the concepts with little significance today.