Religión y territorio en la filosofía política de al-Fārābī

This article explores the use of the terminological pair dār al-islām/dār al-harb, first, from the Islamic juridical perspective. Then, the discussion is focused on the relationship between religion (milla), nation (umma), and territory (maskan), in al-Fārābī's political philosophy. It is highlighted that, in al-Fārābī's approach, the dichotomy dār al-islam/dār al-harb does not appear. The absence of that distinction suggests that for the philosopher religious identity is not a pre-requisite for a political community and its geographical demarcation. Therefore, it is argued that al-Fārābī's philosophical approach rules out the division of nations based on their religious identity. Beyond the differences between legal science and philosophy, the article examines the conceptualization of al-Fārābī's territory and its consequences for political philosophy. © 2023 Colegio de Mexico, A.C., Departamento de Publicaciones. All rights reserved.