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In states ruled by Tax imposed on Non-Muslim adult males. DEFINITIONS Shakir and Khalifa 's English Translation s of the Qur'an render ''jizya'' as " Tax ", while Pickthal translates it as " Tribute ". Yusuf Ali prefers to Transliterate the term as ''jizyah''. Commentators disagree on the definition and derivation of the word ''jizya'':
In practice the word is applied to a special type of tax levied on those who did not accept Islam. SOURCES Qur'an The imposition of ''jizya'' upon non-Muslims is mandated by the Qur'an : Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold forbidden that which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. Hadith ''Jizya'' is mentioned a number of times in the '' Hadith ''. Common themes across multiple ''hadith'' (and often multiple collections of ''hadith'') include Muhammad ordering his military commanders to fight non- Muslim s until they accepted Islam or paid the ''jizya'', Muhammad and a number of Caliph s imposing ''jizya'' on various peoples, and the eventual abolition of ''jizya'' by Jesus ' Second Coming . Sunan Abu-Dawud
Sahih Bukhari
Sahih Muslim
Al-Muwatta
APPLICATION ''Jizya'' was applied to every free adult male member of the s for the richest (e.g. moneychangers), 24 for those of moderate wealth, and 12 for craftsmen and manual laborers. Females, children, the poor, and hermits were exempt from it. The disabled and elderly were exempt unless they were independently wealthy, as were Mendicant Monk s—those living in productive monasteries had to pay. Historically Muslim rulers also attempted to collect ''jizya'' from Hindu s, Sikh s and Zoroastrians under their rule. The collection of the tax was often the duty of the elders of those communities. In return, those who paid the ''jizya'' were not required to serve in the military and were considered under the protection of the Muslim state, with certain rights and responsibilities. Non-Muslims were also exempt from '' Zakat '', or mandatory charity imposed on Muslims. If he refused to pay the ''jizya'', he might be imprisoned, as Abu Yusuf recommended. In modern times, the ''jizya'' and ''zakat'' taxes have been replaced by more modern forms of taxation. ISLAMIC LEGAL COMMENTARY
HISTORY ''Jizya'' was levied in the time of Muhammad on vassal tribes under Muslim protection, including Jews in Khaybar , Christian s in Najran , and Zoroastrians in Bahrain . W. Montgomery Watt traces its origin to a pre-Islamic practice among the Arabian nomads wherein a powerful tribe would agree to protect its weaker neighbors in exchange for a tribute, which would be refunded if the protection proved ineffectual. Prof. Moshe Gil, a historian at Tel Aviv University , wrote about ''jizya'' in his ''A History of Palestine, 634-1099'', published by Cambridge University Press . He records a letter from Muhammad to the Christians and Jews of Elath requiring the imposition of jizyah: Thou hast to accept Islam, or pay the tax, and obey God and His Messenger and the messengers of His Messenger, and do them honor and dress them in fine clothing, not in the raiment of raiders…for if you satisfy my envoys you will satisfy me. Surely the tax is known to you. Therefore if you wish to be secure on land and on sea, obey God and His Messenger…But be careful lest thou do not satisfy…for then I shall not accept anything from you, but I shall fight you and take the young as captives and slay the elderly…Come then, before a calamity befalls you… {Link without Title} Under is reported asked Umar "Will you levy sadaqa from me as you would from the bedouin (al-'arab)?" Umar acceded to collecting ''jizya'' from him instead, as he did from other Christians.[http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/med/donner.html Sir Thomas Arnold, an early 20th century Orientalist , gives an example of a Christian Arab tribe which avoided paying the ''jizya'' altogether by fighting alongside Muslim armies "such was the case with the tribe of al-Jurajimah, a Christian tribe in the neighbourhood of Antioch, who made peace with the Muslims, promising to be their allies and fight on their side in battle, on condition that they should not be called upon to pay jizya and should receive their proper share of the booty". {Link without Title} In his message to the people of Al-Hirah , Khalid Bin Walid is recorded as saying (in reference to the ''jizya''), "When a person is too old to work or suffers a handicap, or when he falls into poverty, he is free from the dues of the poll tax; his sustenance is provided by the Muslim Exchequer." A letter attributed to Khalid bin Walid said that "This is a letter of Khalid ibn al-Waleed to Saluba ibn Nastuna and his people; I agreed with you on al-jezyah and protection. As long as we protect you we have the right in al-jezyah, otherwise we have none.”[http://www.islamonline.net/askaboutislam/display.asp?hquestionID=4429 According to Muslim accounts of Umar, in his time some payers of the ''jizya'' were compensated if they had not been cared for properly. The accounts vary, but describe his meeting an old Jew begging, and assisting him; according to one version: Umar 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". Holding him by the hand, he led him to his own house, and preparing food with his own hands fed him and issued orders to the treasurer of the Bait-al-mal that that old man and all others like him, should be regularly doled out a daily allowance which should suffice for them and their dependents. {Link without Title} In . In Persia , ''jizya'' was paid by Zoroastrian minority until 1884 , when it was removed by pressure on the Qajar government asserted by the Persian Zoroastrian Amelioration Fund. As late as 1894 ''jizya'' was still being collected in Morocco ; an Italian Jew described his experience there: The kadi Uwida and the kadi Mawlay Mustafa had mounted their tent today near the Mellah ghetto gate and had summoned the Jews in order to collect from them the poll tax which they are obliged to pay the Sultan . They had me summoned also. I first inquired whether those who were European-protected subjects had to pay this tax. Having learned that a great many of them had already paid it, I wished to do likewise. After having remitted the amount of the tax to the two officials, I received from the kadi’s guard two blows in the back of the neck. Addressing the kadi and the kaid, I said” ‘Know that I am an Italian protected subject.’ Whereupon the kadi said to his guard: ‘Remove the kerchief covering his head and strike him strongly; he can then go and complain wherever he wants.’ The guards hastily obeyed and struck me once again more violently. This public mistreatment of a European-protected subject demonstrates to all the Arabs that they can, with impunity, mistreat the Jews.[http://www.secularislam.org/articles/bostom.htm CRITICISM Criticism of ''jizya'' has typically focused not only on its specific application to non-Muslims, but also its humiliating nature. It has been described as a demonstration of "constitutional inferiority and humiliation" and criticized for the alleged "consistent, intentionally humiliating character of its application".[http://www.secularislam.org/articles/bostom.htm According to Orientalist S.D. Goitein in ''Evidence on the Muslim Poll Tax from Non-Muslim Sources'': It was of course, evident that the tax represented a discrimination and was intended, according to the Koran's own words, to emphasize the inferior status of the non-believers. It seemed, however, that from the economic point of view, it did not constitute a heavy imposition, since it was on a sliding scale, approximately one, two, and four dinars, and thus adjusted to the financial capacity of the taxpayer. This impression proved to be entirely fallacious, for it did not take into consideration the immense extent of poverty and privation experienced by the masses, and in particular, their persistent lack of cash, which turned the 'season of the tax' into one of horror, dread, and misery. Defenders of the tax insist that it was equivalent to the '' Zakat '' that only Muslims had to pay. For example, Mohammad Asad has argued "One of the problems raised by the missionaries and orientalists is the imposition of tribute or jizyah on all non-Muslims. This institution has been so misinterpreted and misexplained that the non-Muslims feel that it is some kind of religious-based discrimination against them. This is not the case. All the jizyah amounts are to be a financial obligation placed upon those who do not have to pay the Zakah". {Link without Title} Others have stated that ''jizya'' compensated for non-Muslims not having to do , has argued: This tax was not imposed on the Christian s, as some would have us think, as a penalty for their refusal to accept the Muslim faith. Rather, it was paid by them in common with the other dhimmis or non-Muslim subjects of the state whose religion precluded them from serving in the army, in return for the protection secured for them by the arms of the Muslims. 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. {Link without Title} As noted above (in Islamic Legal commentary and '''History'''), payment of the jizya was often accompanied by blows administered to the neck and head. Both the payment and the hitting have been performed in public. {Link without Title} . REFERENCES
SEE ALSO
NOTES # Sura 9:29, translation of Yusuf Ali ( Universalunity.net Parallel Translation of the Qur'an ) # Abu Yusuf, ''Kitab al-Kharaj'', quoted in Stillman, Norman: ''The Jews of Arab Lands: A History and Source Book'' (Philadelphia, Jewish Publication Society of America, 1979), pp. 159–160 # ''Ibid.'', p. 160 # ''Ibid.'', pp. 160–161 # W. Montgomery Watt, ''Islamic Political Thought: The Basic Concepts'' (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1980), pp. 49–50 EXTERNAL LINKS Pro-''jizya''
Anti-''jizya''
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