QUESTION:
Is India considered “Dār ul Islām”, or “Dār ul Ḥarb”? What are the definitions of these two terms?
ANSWER:
India is “Dār ul Islām”. “Dār ul Islām” is such a land that is currently under Muslim authority, or it was previously under Muslim authority and the non-Muslim authority has allowed the signs of Islam to remain, such as the Friday prayer, Eid prayers, adhān, iqāmah, congregational prayers, etc. If the signs of disbelief are established, and the signs of Islam have been totally ended, and not a single person remains who holds proper belief, and that land is not surrounded on all sides by “Dār ul Islām”, then that land becomes “Dār ul Ḥarb”. As long as these conditions are not all met, no land previously designated “Dār ul Islām” can ever become “Dār ul Ḥarb”.
[Summarized from Fatāwa Ridāwiyya, 12-Vol. Edition, Vol. 7, pg. 114]
Translated by Omair Shariff – answer from alhaneef.com