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The Treaty of Ayla

صلح أيلة

c. 630 CE · 9 AH

Ayla

In al-Baladhuri: Yuhanna ibn Ru'ba, lord of Ayla, came to the Prophet ﷺ while he was at Tabuk and made peace on a dinar yearly upon every hālim of his land's people, totalling three hundred dinars, stipulating hospitality for Muslims passing by them, and the Prophet wrote them a letter of safeguard and protection; Talha al-Ayli reported that Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz never took from the people of Ayla a thing beyond the three hundred dinars.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Arabia
Review
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In time

620630640 c.
The Prophetic Era · The Rashidun Caliphate

In space

Ayla

Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph

Overview

Al-Baladhuri says that Yuhanna ibn Ruba, lord of Ayla, came to the Prophet while he was at Tabuk, and made peace with him for a poll tax. 1

The peace

He imposed one dinar a year on each free adult of his land, which came to three hundred dinars. He stipulated that they provide hospitality for any Muslims who passed by them. The Prophet wrote them a letter that they should be protected and defended. 1

Afterwards

It is related from Talha al-Aili that Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz did not add anything to the people of Ayla above the three hundred. 1

The peace is part of the expedition of Tabuk, and it connects with the concept of the poll tax. The date is derived from that of the expedition.

Connections

Explore the connections

Occurred at
Ayla
Had participant
Yuhanna ibn Ru'ba· Muhammad
Part of
The expedition to Tabuk
Basis for
Jizya (capitation on treaty peoples)

People and things also explored

The treaty with Yuhanna ibn Ru'ba, lord of Ayla· Abu Dharr lags behind and follows on foot· Abu Khaythama catches up with the Prophet· Abu Ruhm and the stragglers of Ghifar and Aslam· al-Jadd ibn Qays asks leave to stay behind· Ali is left in charge of the Prophet's family· The burial of Dhu al-Bijadayn at Tabuk· Burning of Suwaylim's house

Sources

  1. Futuh al-Buldan — al-Baladhuri (Mu'assasat al-Ma'arif edition)
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “The Treaty of Ayla”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/sulh-ayla/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-16.

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The treaty with Yuhanna ibn Ru'ba, lord of Ayla

When the Prophet reached Tabuk, Yuhanna ibn Ru'ba, the master of Ayla, came to him, made peace and paid the jizya; the people of Jarba and Adhruh also came and paid it, and he wrote them a document they still hold. For Yuhanna and the people of Ayla he wrote a letter of safe-conduct whose text Ibn Ishaq preserves.