Many of the critics of Islam cite jizyah in the context of labeling this religion as prejudicing against non-Muslims. They consider jizyah as a major reason that helped Islam to spread. In other words, those critics think that many people were forced to embrace Islam in order to evade paying jizyah. Through such a misleading depiction of the situation many would think that the following issues are true:
- Jizyah was an Islamic
invention in order to rob
people;
- Jizyah was a huge amount
that non-Muslims were unable
to pay and therefore they
embraced Islam;
- Jizyah was paid by every
non-Muslim regardless race,
age, financial and social
status.
These three points are misleading and slanted meta narratives through which critics of Islam aim to defame this religion and keep people away from it, and even instigate them against it. Our objective here is to show that jizyah was not an Islamic innovation. Jews used it and Isa (Jesus) (PBUH) paid it. The amount of jizyah paid by non-Muslims was nothing compared to the amount of Zakat paid by Muslims. Moreover, jizyah was not imposed on all non-Muslims as critics of Islam try to indicate. Based on all the above, we shall discover that jizyah was a simple contribution by non-Muslims to be exempted from performing military service of the country to which they belong as citizens.
Bible Dictionary at the
website of Saint Takla (www.st-takla.org)
defines jizyah from the
Christian perspective as
follows:
"(1) Money, goods, or
service given by a nation or
an individual to another
nation or a king as a sign
of subservience and a
contribution to expenditure
(Genesis 49:15, Judges 1:2,
Ezra 4:13, Isaiah 31:8, and
Matthew 17:25). When the
Pharisees wanted to trap
Jesus Christ, they asked him
about his opinion of paying
jizyah to Caesar. He
answered them: "Give to
Caesar what is Caesar’s, and
give to God what is God’s."
His interrogators were
flummoxed by this
authoritative (though
ambiguous) answer and left
disappointed.
(2) According to Moses'
sharia'ah, jizyah of two
dirhams imposed on everyone
above twenty. Its amount was
half a shekel to be spent in
community service (Exodus
30:13). At the time of
Nehemiah, every Israelite
paid a voluntary jizyah of
(one third) shekel for the
service of the Temple
(Nehemiah 10:32 and 33)
Afterwards it increased to
half a shekel as an annual
tax to be levied from every
Jew more than twenty years
old all over the world. The
aim of the dialogue between
Jesus Christ and Peter on
jizyah paid by the former in
Capernaum was to clarify to
Boutros that he (Jesus) was
able not to pay it but he
did in order for the people
not to stumble (Matthews 17:
24-27) King Solomon imposed
a heavy jizyah on his people
(1 Kings 12:4) Josephus the
historian wrote that after
the destruction of
Jerusalem, Emperor Vespasian
forced all Jews all over
Roman empire to pay to
Jupiter Temple in Rome the
same two dirhams they used
to pay for their Temple."
As for the story of the Pharisee Jews and Prophet Isa (PBUH) mentioned in the above definition, it can be summarized as follows.
Jews was trying every method to get rid of Isa (PBUH) and finally they thought of proving his disloyalty to the disunited Roman Empire. They asked him: "Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?" (Matthew 22:17) However, "Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription. They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's." (Matthew 22:18-21) (Luke 20: 22-25)
In light of the above, it should be clear that jizyah was not an Islamic innovation. It was applicable during the era of Isa (PBUH). He paid it and asked other to do the same to Roman Empire which was not united at that time. In other words, Isa (PBUH) allowed payment of jizyah to unbelievers and atheists. How come he does not allow its payment to Muslims who worship Allah (the Almighty)? At the time of Prophet Isa (PBUH), atheistic Roman Empire was dominating both Jews and Christians. However, Isa (PBUH) ordered his disciples to pay jizyah when he said, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and give to God what is God’s."He even put the duty towards state first. The New Testament mentions jizyah many times and puts it before the obligation towards Allah (the Almighty). Some of the examples are:
- "Shew me the tribute
money. And they brought unto
him a penny." (Matthews
22:19) This is the
abovementioned story.
- "Render therefore to all
their dues: tribute to whom
tribute is due; custom to
whom custom; fear to whom
fear; honour to whom
honour." (Romans 13: 7) This
is an explicit order to pay
jizyah to whom it is due,
that is, the state as
mentioned in the definition
mentioned at the beginning.
- "He saith, Yes. And when
he was come into the house,
Jesus prevented him, saying,
What thinkest thou, Simon?
of whom do the kings of the
earth take custom or
tribute? of their own
children, or of strangers?
Peter saith unto him, Of
strangers. Jesus saith unto
him, Then are the children
free." (Matthew 17: 25-26)
It is clear that Prophet Isa
(PBUH) here states that
jizyah is taken only form
strangers. It is therefore
an ordinary issue that
cannot be dubbed as "racist"
or "unjust". Otherwise,
Prophet Isa (PBUH) would
have been biased and unjust!
When Muslims take jizyah
from non-Muslims, this is
not racism or injustice in
dealing with them. It is a
kind of contribution more
than which Muslims pay in
the form of Zakat.
The Old Testament also
indicates that Prophet Musa
(Moses) (PBUH) paid jizyah:
- "And they made a
proclamation through Judah
and Jerusalem, to bring in
to the LORD the collection
that Moses the servant of
God laid upon Israel in the
wilderness." (2 Chronicles
24:9)
- Israel took jizyah. "And
it came to pass, when Israel
was strong, that they put
the Canaanites to tribute,
and did not utterly drive
them out." (Judges 1:28)
- Joseph paid jizyah. "But
the Amorites would dwell in
mount Heres in Aijalon, and
in Shaalbim: yet the hand of
the house of Joseph
prevailed, so that they
became tributaries." (Judges
1:35)
- Hoshea paid jizyah.
"Against him came up
Shalmaneser king of Assyria;
and Hoshea became his
servant, and gave him
presents." (2 Kings 17:3)
- Nonpayment of jizyah led
to slavery and negation of
all rights. "And they drave
not out the Canaanites that
dwelt in Gezer: but the
Canaanites dwell among the
Ephraimites unto this day,
and serve under tribute."
(Joshua 16:10)
Later, we will see that obedience to the ruler in the New Testament was sacred and that payment of jizyah was the absolute right of this ruler. Paul ordered people to obey the ruler and pay the jizyah in subservience:
- "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour." (Romans 13: 1-7)
Jizyah in Islam
But in Islam, jizyah was
very different from the way
it is depicted. It was a
small amount imposed only on
those who are able to fight
and not on women, children,
salves, the mad, and the
old. Adam Metz, a Western
historian, writes in the
Islamic Civilization in the
Fourth Century of the
Hegira:
The people of zimmah paid
jizyah as per each one's
ability. Jizyah was like
civil defense tax.
Therefore, only the person
who was able to carry
weapons paid such tax.
Handicapped, hermits, and
saints did not pay it unless
they were well-off.
Omar Ibnul-Khattab (may
Allah be pleased with him)
ordered the leaders of
armies: "Do not impose
jizyah on women or children.
Impose it only on those who
are adults." The amount of
jizyah was not beyond the
ability of men; rather, it
was easy to be paid. It did
not exceed one dinar per
annum during the age of the
Prophet (PBUH) and four
dinars during the age of the
Umayyads. In this way,
jizyah was imposed only on
the third of the people of
zimmah or even less.
Nabil Luqa Babwi, an
orthodox Coptic Egyptian
writer and scholar, wrote
that, "Jizyah was a small
amount of money. Over
seventy percent of people of
other beliefs rather than
Islam were exempted: the
old, women, children, and
monks. It was not a
punishment for not being a
Muslim but rather a tax
against the use of public
facilities by non-Muslims
and a defense tax against
any external attack. This
means that Islam did not
spread by sword as stated by
some Orientalists." Payment
of jizyah exempted
non-Muslims from two
obligations of Muslims:
defending the country and
payment of Zakat. Is it
logical that jizyah was a
punishment or a burden on
non-Muslims to embrace
Islam? Is it logical that
non-Muslims leave their
beliefs to evade jizyah
while in Islam they must pay
Zakat which is more than
jizyah and they must fight
and may die? Comparing
jizyah and Zakat, we will
find a big difference. If
jizyah was not more than
four dinars under the
Umayyads, Zakat is 2.5
percent from annual savings
that are at least equal to
twenty karats as determined
by the Prophet (PBUH), 1150
US$, after one year of
non-use. This is calls nisab
or minimum amount. The one
who pays the least amount of
Zakat pays 28 US$ per annum
(2.5% of 1150 US$). It is
noteworthy that the one who
saves more than 1150 US$
during one year has to pay
2.5% of the total amount as
Zakat. Moreover, Zakat
includes cattle, harvests,
gold, silver, trade money
among other things and
amounts of Zakat are
calculated for each of them
in a different manner.
In asking non-Muslims living in an Islamic country to pay jizyah Islam treats them in such a fair manner that is hard to be found throughout history. Islam is the religion of mercy and justice. It was reported that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said about the people of zimmah: "whoever treats a covenanted citizen unjustly or takes away a part of his rights or overburdens him or forces something away from him, I will be his enemy on the Day of Judgment." The Prophet's (PBUH) Companions and followers followed in his footsteps. Omar Ibnul-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) told his leaders: "Who is not able to pay jizyah, reduce it for him and who cannot pay, help him." When he saw an old Dhimmi man begging people he said:"Omar said to him, "Old man! We have not done justice to you. In your youth we realized Jizyah from you and have left you to fend for yourself in your old age". He then ordered his leaders not to take jizyah from the old. Moreover, in that case the Muslim state was obliged to allocate a pension for its needy non-Muslim citizen. Caliph Omar Ibn Abdul-Aziz (may Allah be pleased with him) wrote to his Basra governor that, "consider the Dhimmi people in Basra. For the old and the weak give them an allocation from the public treasury."
In the reign of Omar Ibnul-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) collecting jizyah was mercifully done. One of the leaders brought a lot of jizyah money to Omar who then told him, "It seems you squeezed people." But the people told him that "No, we took only the right of the state voluntarily and without coercion." Omar said, "Thank Allah that He has not made such matters in may reign." When Omar was dying he did not forget to tell Muslims to take care of Dhimmi people, "I demand the caliph after me to treat Dhimmi people fairly, fulfill their covenant, defend them and do not overburden them."
In Brief
In brief, Muslims dealt fairly with non-Muslims in their state. Those were asked to pay jizyah, a small amount of money, as a contribution to the state. Not all Dhimmi paid jizyah; almost two thirds of them did not. To say that jizyah was a heavy burden to force non-Muslims to embrace Islam is misleading and ridiculous. Once they become Muslims they should have paid more than that in Zakat and they should have died in fight.
Jizyah was not a punishment for non-Muslims. It was rather a tax by which non-Muslims do not fight enemies and enjoy the protection of Muslims. In order to clarify this point, Shaikh Yusuf Al-Qaradhawi deliverd a word during Iqra Channel Fiqh-Media Forum held on 8-9 October 2005 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia under the title of "Islam Considers Humanity as One Family" . He said:
For more clarification and
for refuting each allegation
and accusation I would like
to mention what the noted
historian Sir Thomas W.
Arnold in his Call to Islam,
states:
This tax was not imposed on
the Christians, as some
would have us think, as a
penalty for their refusal to
accept the Muslim faith, but
was paid by them in common
with the other Dhimmis or
non-Muslim subjects of the
states whose religion
precluded them from serving
in the army, in return for
the protection secured for
them by the arms of the
Musalmans. When the people
of Hirah contributed the sum
agreed upon, they expressly
mentioned that they paid
this Jizyah on condition
that 'the Muslims and their
leader protect us from those
who would oppress us,
whether they be Muslims or
others.' …the jizyah was
levied on the able-bodied
males, in lieu of the
military service they would
have been called upon to
perform had they been Muslim
men; and it is very
noticeable that when any
Christian people served in
the Muslim army, they were
exempted from the payment of
this tax. Such was the case
with the tribe of
Al-Jurajimah, a Christian
tribe in the neighborhood of
Antioch, who made peace with
the Muslims, promising them
to be their allies and fight
on their side in battle. In
his covenant with the people
of certain cities near
Al-Haira, Khalid ibn
Al-Walid recorded "If we are
able to protect you, we
deserve the collection of
jizyah."
The seriousness with which
the Muslims took their
covenants with the
non-Muslims is well
illustrated by the following
incident. During the reign
of the second caliph, `Umar
Ibn Al-Khattab, the Roman
emperor Heraclius raised a
huge army to repel the
Muslim forces. It was thus
incumbent upon the Muslims
to concentrate their efforts
on the battle. When the
commander of Muslims, Abu
`Ubaydah heard this news, he
wrote to his officials in
all conquered cities in
Syria and ordered them to
return the jizyah which had
been levied in those cities.
He also addressed the public
saying, "We are returning
your money because we know
that the enemy has gathered
troops. By the terms
stipulated in the covenant,
you have obliged us to
protect you. However, since
we are now unable to fulfill
these conditions, we have
returned to you what you
paid to us. We shall abide
by the terms agreed upon in
the covenant, if Allah helps
us to rout the enemy.
Thus, a huge amount was taken from the state treasury and returned to the Christians, making them very happy. They prayed for and blessed the Muslim commanders. They exclaimed, "May Allah help you to overcome your enemies and return you to us safely. If the enemy were in your place, they would never have returned anything to us, but rather they would have taken all our remaining property.
The jizyah was also imposed on Muslim men who could afford to buy their way out of military service. If a Christian group elected to serve in the state's military forces, it was exempted from the jizyah. Historical examples of this abound. Al-Jurajimah, a Christian tribe living near Antioch (now in Turkey), by undertaking to support Muslims and to fight on the battle front, did not have to pay the jizyah and were entitled to a share of the captured booty.
When the Islamic conquests reached northern Persia in AH 22, a similar covenant was established with a tribe living on the boundaries of those territories. They were consequently exempted from jizyah in view of their military services.
Other examples are to be found during the history of the Ottoman Empire. The Migaris, a group of Albanian Christians, were exempted from the jizyah for undertaking to watch and guard the mountain ranges of Cithaeron and Geraned (which stretch to the Gulf of Corinth). Christians who served as the vanguard of the Turkish army for road repairs, bridge construction, and so on, were exempted from the kharaj (land tax). As a reward, they were also provided with some lands, free of all taxes.
The Christians of Hydra were exempted when they agreed to supply a group of 250 strong men for the Muslim naval fleet. The Armatolis, Christians from southern Romania, were also exempted from the tax, for they constituted a vital element in the Turkish armed forces during the 16th and 17th centuries. The Mirdites, an Albanian Catholic clan who lived in the mountains of northern Scutari, were exempted on the condition that they would offer an armored battalion in wartime. The jizyah was also not imposed on the Greek Christians who had supervised the building of viaducts that carried water to Constantinople, nor on those who guarded the ammunition in that city, as just compensation for their services to the state. However, Egyptian Muslim peasants exempted from military service were still required to pay the jizyah.
From the above extract we have to note that:
- Abu `Ubaydah (may Allah be
pleased with him) returned
jizyah tax to the Christians
of Sham when he knew that
Muslims would not be able to
prevent the attack. This
indicates that jizyah was
not to rob the people of
their money or force them to
embrace Islam.
- Once it was possible for
non-Muslims to participate
in fight with Muslims in
return for a part of war
spoils, jizyah was not
collected.
- Muslims themselves had to
pay jizyah if they did not
participate in fight. This
is clear evidence that the
aim of jizyah was not to
force people to turn to
Islam and that all the
opinions to the contrary are
groundless.
In light of the above, we hope that it has become clear that jizyah was not an Islamic innovation and it was known during previous Jewish and Christian ages when Jews and Christians paid jizyah to atheistic Roman Empire. Why then do criticizers condemn payment of jizyah to the Muslim state that acknowledges both religions and respect their Prophets? Moreover, only 30% of Dhimmi people paid jizyah which was nothing compared to the Zakat paid by Muslims. This refutes the allegation that jizyah was imposed to force non-Muslims to embrace Islam. How can this be true while Muslims themselves had to pay jizyah when they did not participate in fight? Jizyah was a small amount of money paid by some Dhimmis instead of fighting.
Therefore, we can say for
sure that jizyah was not a
reason in spreading Islam.
[1] St. Takla Haymanout is
the most famous saint in
Ethiopia. His church is in
Alexandria, Egypt. His
website
www.st-takla.org
provides a definition of
jizyah from a Christian
perspective.
[2] Imam Al-Qurtubi, Comprehensive Interpretation of the Noble Qur'an (8/72).
[3] Adam Mitz, Islamic Civilization (1/96).
[4] Al-Albani, Irwaa Al-Ghaleel, Hadith number 1255.
[5] Babawi, Spread of Islam by Sword: Reality and Lie. Bbawi Publishing House, Cairo, 2002. p. 45.
[6] From the site of International Islamic Charitable Organization, Kuwait (www.iico.net).
[7] Abu Dawud, Hadith number (3052) in (3/107) corrected by Al-Albani (2626). An-Nasaei, Hadith number (2749) in (8/25).
[8] Ibn 'Asaker, History of Damascus, Vol. 1, p. 178.
[9] Ibn Zanjweeh, Monies, (1/163).
[10] Ibn Zanjweeh, Monies, (1/170).
[11] Imam Abi 'Ubaid Al-Qasem ibn Salam, Monies, P. 43/ Al-Mughni (9/290), Rules of Dhimmis (1/139).
[12]Al-Bukhari, Hadith number (1392) in (3/1356).
[13] Al-Qaradhawi,(
www.qaradawi.net)
18/10/2005. The translation
of the book of Sir Arnold is
by Dr. Hassan Ibrahim,
Ismael Al-Nahrawi and
Abdul-Majid 'Abdeen