Sulh

Sulh is an Arabic word which mean "peace".It is derived from the Arabic word "musalaha".Fact|date=February 2007

Historical use in Islam

In Islam Sulh is a tool at the disposal of an Islamic commander to be offered to the enemy as a respite from military Jihad.

In his book Future Jihad Professor of Middle Eastern studies Walid Phares describes Sulh::"Intriguingly, the rulers of Dar al-Islam offered treaties and peace agreements to both past and future enemies. It was called "sulh", which can be translated as "a momentary peace"; from it came the word "musalaha", or act of reconciliation. The concept of peace had its own words and logic. "Salaam", which means "permanent peace", was a state of plenitude reached via the rule of the Islamic state. "Sakiam", or "true peace", was to happen within the caliphate or when it decided so. SuIh, or interim peace, was a diplomatic tool at the disposal of the supreme commander, to be employed until the political balance again became favorable to the state. Thus, the logic of jihad —a statist logic par excellence— was to wage fatah when possible, conclude sulk when needed, and go back to jihad when conditions were right again. Implacably, methodically, and relentlessly, the doctrine of jihad fueled the fatah for centuries." [Walid Phares, , pp. 34-36.]

ee also

*Divisions of the world in Islam
*Al Taqiyya

References