Conquest by treaty (sulh)

الفتح صلحاً

Fath sulhan in al-Baladhuri is taking a town by negotiated capitulation without combat: his first example is Fadak — on his return from Khaybar the Prophet sent Muhayyisa ibn Masud al-Ansari calling its people to Islam, 'and they made peace with the Prophet on half the land with its soil, and he accepted that from them', so its people remained in it through the Prophet's life and Abu Bakr's until Umar exiled them; sulh contrasts with 'anwa — treaty peoples keep their lands and property on the treaty's terms except what was stipulated, and the half-land treaty made half of Fadak pure fay' for the Prophet 'because the Muslims had not charged upon it with horse or camel'.

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Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Arabia
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Conquest and its debatesPeace-making and coexistence

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Basis for
Fay' (property restored without battle)

People and things also explored

Conquest by force (anwa)· Fay' (property restored without battle)· The Capitulation of Fadak· Mu'adh's Counsel on the Land of Syria at al-Jabiya· Reconciliation of hearts (al-mu'allafa qulubuhum)· Dhimma (the covenant of protection)· Iqta' (land grant)· Jizya (capitation on treaty peoples)

Sources

  • Futuh al-Buldan — al-Baladhuri (Mu'assasat al-Ma'arif edition)
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Conquest by treaty (sulh)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/fath-sulh/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-13.

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Conquest by force (anwa)

Fath 'anwa in al-Baladhuri is taking a town or land by combat and siege: his example is Khaybar — he reports via Abd al-Razzaq from Ma'mar from al-Zuhri 'that the Prophet took Khaybar by force ('anwatan)', so its goods and Khaybar itself were divided among the fighters — in Ibn Abbas's report 'Khaybar was divided into one thousand five hundred and eighty shares' matching the number of combatants, the Prophet's safaya from it being an allotment from which he provisioned his wives, his uncle Abbas, Abu Bakr, Umar, al-Hasan, al-Husayn and Banu al-Muttalib; 'anwa contrasts with sulh — what was taken by treaty remained with its people on the treaty terms, like Fadak, while what was taken by force became booty divided among those present at the conquest.