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 ﷺ sent Muhayyisa ibn Masud al-Ansari (may God be pleased with him) 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'.

Depth

At a glance

Era: The Prophetic Era
Region: Arabia
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Conquest and its debates Peace-making and coexistence

Overview

In al-Baladhuri, fath sulhan (conquest by treaty) is the taking of a town by agreement and peaceable settlement, without fighting. His first example of it is Fadak. It is contrasted with conquest by force. ¹

The example of Fadak

On his return from Khaybar, the Prophet sent Muhayyisa ibn Mas'ud al-Ansari to invite the people of Fadak to Islam. They made peace with him by giving up half the land and its produce, and he accepted it from them. Its people remained on it during the lives of the Prophet and Abu Bakr, until Umar expelled them. ¹

The effect

Those who made peace remain on their land under the terms of the treaty, and their property stays with them except what was stipulated. Because the Muslims did not advance against it with horse or camel, the half of Fadak given by treaty became fay' (property returned to the community), belonging solely to the Prophet. ¹

Connections

Explore the connections

Basis for: Fay' (property restored without battle)

People and things also explored

Conquest by force (anwa)· Fay' (property restored without battle)· Market-Place Preemption· The Capitulation of Fadak· Mu'adh's Counsel on the Land of Syria at al-Jabiya· Bukhari 4033 — We do not inherit; what we leave is charity· Silm: peace and treaty with the enemy· Reconciliation of hearts (al-mu'allafa qulubuhum)

Sources

Futuh al-Buldan — al-Baladhuri (Mu'assasat al-Ma'arif edition) , p.41

Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Conquest by treaty (sulh)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/fath-sulh/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-16.

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Ideas

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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.