Dhimma (the covenant of protection)

الذمة

Dhimma in al-Baladhuri is the written covenant of security granted to treaty peoples of the Book: its formula in the Prophet ﷺ's letter to Najran runs 'they have God's protection and the protection of His messenger over their persons, religion, lands, wealth, absent and present', and its stipulated terms in the Najran peace include that they not be seduced from their religion or its ranks, nor levied nor tithed, and in the letter's text that no bishop be removed from his bishopric, no monk from his monasticism, no right of theirs or their images — crucifixes and icons — be altered, and no army tread their land, while whoever of them took usury the Prophet's protection was quit of him; the letter of the people of Maqna grants 'God's protection and His messenger's' with security and pardon for every blood; and the dhimma was renewed under the caliphs — Abu Bakr wrote to the people of Najran on the model of the Prophet's letter, and Uthman called them 'a people who have a dhimma' when he remitted two hundred of their hullas.

Overview

In al-Baladhuri, dhimma is a written contract of safe-conduct for the People of the Book who made peace with the Muslims. The best known of its forms is the Prophet's document for the people of Najran. It is the basis of the poll tax in the order he sets out. ¹

The Najran document

Al-Baladhuri reports that they have the dhimma of God and of His Messenger over themselves, their religion, their land, and their property, the absent and the present among them. Among the conditions of their peace was that they should not be made to abandon their religion or their ranks, that they should not be mustered, and that they should not be taxed on their produce (ushr). The text of the document says that no bishop should be moved from his bishopric and no monk from his monastery, that their rights should not be changed, and that no army should tread their land. ²

Whoever of them consumes usury, the Prophet's dhimma is free of him. ²

The document of the people of Muqanna

In the document for the people of Muqanna, they have the dhimma of God and of His Messenger, together with safe-conduct and pardon for all bloodshed. ³

Renewal of the dhimma

Al-Baladhuri reports that the caliphs renewed the dhimma. Abu Bakr wrote to the people of Najran in the manner of the Prophet's document, and 'Uthman described them as a people who have a dhimma when he remitted two hundred garments from them. ²

Jizya (capitation on treaty peoples)

Jizya in al-Baladhuri is what the People of the Book pay per head under treaty in return for confirmation in their religion and lands: he reports from al-Zuhri 'the first of the People of the Book to pay the jizya, so far as we know, were the people of Najran, who were Christians; then the people of Ayla, Adhruh and the people of Adhri'at paid jizya in the Tabuk campaign'; its forms with him include a dinar per hālim per year — the treaty of Ayla totalling three hundred dinars, Jurash a dinar per hālim plus hospitality for Muslims, Adhruh a hundred dinars every Rajab, and the Jews of Maqna a quarter of the 'uruk catch, a quarter of the women's spinning and a quarter of the fruits — beyond which the people of Maqna owed 'no jizya and no corvée'; when Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz took office he had the people of Najran counted, found them at a tithe of their former number and said 'I see this treaty is a jizya on their heads, not a treaty on their lands — and the jizya of the dead and of the Muslim lapses', so he set them at two hundred hullas.

Dhimma (the covenant of protection)

At a glance

Overview

The Najran document

The document of the people of Muqanna

Renewal of the dhimma

Connections

People and things also explored

Sources

Ideas

Jizya (capitation on treaty peoples)