The Strategic Role of Talif al-Qulub in General Diplomacy

The concept of reconciliation of hearts [Talif al-qulub] is derived from a jurisprudential subsidiary issue in the discussion concerning the recipients of Zakat in Islamic jurisprudence. Talif al-qulub refers to appeasing some hypocrites and polytheists or even specific groups of Muslims in a bid to seek their political cooperation with the Islamic system or nation or at least to prevent them from hatching a conspiracy or threatening the Muslim nation or system, or to tame their hearts in order to attract them to Islam. One of the basic strategies of political authority in Islam is to create a spiritual bond and an intimate relationship among citizens and people that may help strengthen soft power and influence in the area of public diplomacy. Hence, the basic role of talif al-qulub is provable in every age and time especially when it comes to generating and strengthening the soft power of the Islamic system as well as in expanding of the domain of influence in "internal policies" and "foreign policy". It can be looked at as a strategic Islamic model of compassionate political action and soft power.