Istijarah (Arabic: "إستجارة") is an Islamic term for asylum, accepting a person at risk as a member of own tribe.[1]
Definition
In the Pre-Islamic era in Arabia there was a system of clan protection, and a people without a clan would stand without protection. Such a person could request for Istijarah (asylum) from a person already having a clan association in order to receive protection from that person. This was a common practice in Arabia [1], this was used by some Muslims who returned from the first Migration to Abyssinia [2], and Prophet Muhammad himself requested Istijarah from Mut`im ibn `Uday after his return to Mecca from the visit to Ta'if [1].
The term is also used in the Qur'an [1]:
References