Jizya (capitation on treaty peoples)

In al-Baladhuri, the jizya is what the People of the Book pay on their heads under the terms of a treaty, in return for being left to their religion and their land. ¹

He relates from al-Zuhri that, as far as is known, the first of the People of the Book to pay the jizya were the people of Najran, who were Christians. Then the people of Aylah, Adhruh, and Adhri'at paid the jizya during the expedition of Tabuk. ²

One of its forms, in his account, was a dinar on every adult male each year. The people of Aylah made peace for three hundred dinars; the people of Jarash made peace for a dinar per adult male, together with the hospitality of the Muslims; and the people of Adhruh made peace for a hundred dinars each Rajab. The Jews of Muqanna made peace for a quarter of the hunt of the 'Uruk, a quarter of the women's spinning, and a quarter of the fruits, and after that they owed neither jizya nor forced labour. ²

When Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz came to power, he ordered that the people of Najran be counted, and found them at a tenth of their earlier number. He said that he regarded this settlement as a jizya on their heads, not a treaty over their land, and that the jizya on the dead and on Muslims was dropped. He therefore imposed on them two hundred garments. ³

Al-Baladhuri states, citing al-Awza'i, that at the beginning in Syria the jizya was a jarib (measure of grain) and a dinar on each head. He then reports accounts of Umar ibn al-Khattab (may God be pleased with him)'s assessment of it by the classes of people. ⁴

See the land tax.