People who Live in Muslim Lands and Those in Europe Fatwa No: 82466
- Fatwa Date:2-1-2001
Is there any differences between the people who live in the Islamic countries and Europe?
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.
The scholars differentiate between Darul-Islam (the land of Islam) and Darul-Kufr (the land of Kufr).
There are two conditions for an entity to be called Darul-Islam:
First: The rules of Islam are applied in it.
Second: The power, rule, and final word in it is in the hand of the Muslim ruler (Imam). If some unbelievers live there and some sins are very common there, it does not influence its description as Darul-Islam.
Ar-Ravi said: "It is not pre-condition in Darul-Islam that there are Muslims in it. In fact, it is called so if its ruler is a Muslim who practices Islam overtly."
Ash-Shawkaani said: "What is important is the preponderance of Islam. So, if the orders and prohibitions stem from the Muslims, leaving non-Muslims to hide their ways of devotion unless otherwise given permission by Muslims, the place is called Darul- Islam. The appearance of some characteristics and acts of worship of unbelievers does not influence this verdict as long as it is the Muslims who have allowed the non-Muslims to practice their rituals. But if these rituals are imposed on Muslims and the latter have no power on them, then the place is called Darul- Kufr."
To conclude, any place where Islamic rulings are not applied or where the power and superiority is not for Muslims, is called Darul- Kufr, even though there might be some Muslims in it or that some Islamic rituals are apparent in it.
Allah knows best.