Rıbāt in Transition: Meaning and Function in Islamic History

Abstract

This article offers a philological and historical analysis of the term ribāt, examining its semantic trajectory from an early Islamic military outpost to a polyvalent institution encompassing religious, social, and architectural functions. The study seeks to elucidate how a term originally rooted in frontier defense acquired complex connotations across diverse Islamic geographies, particularly within the contexts of Sufi practice, urban infrastructure, and architectural typology. Utilizing a methodology that integrates classical Arabic lexicography, Qur’anic hermeneutics, and historical-geographical accounts, the paper reveals how ribāt functioned as a semantic and cultural node reflecting the evolving religio-political needs of Muslim societies. The findings underscore the term’s transformation through linguistic adaptation, regional reinterpretation, and institutional repurposing, thereby illuminating broader dynamics of conceptual change in Islamic civilization.