The Treaty with the Samaritans

صلح السامرة

c. 636 CE · c. 15 AH

In al-Baladhuri through the Syrian chain of Hisham ibn Ammar from al-Walid ibn Muslim from Safwan ibn Amr: Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah (may God be pleased with him) compounded with the Samaritans of the Jordan and Filastin districts — they being mixed with the other covenant-holders — on the terms that they serve as scouts and guides for the Muslims, against jizya on their heads with their lands exempted; the Muslims once raided them and took captives until they returned to abiding by their first affair, when they were left in peace, their standing continuing to the author's time on their ancient treaty; in Yazid ibn Mu'awiya's day kharaj was laid on their land with five dinars on each man's head — the Samaritans being Jews of two sects, the Dustan and the Kushan; in al-Rashid's early caliphate a sweeping plague struck Filastin, sometimes taking whole households, whose lands fell waste and idle until the sultan charged their cultivation and assembled tenants and farmers to them, making them crown estates including the Samaritans', and in year 246 a portion of their kharaj was remitted.

Overview

Al-Baladhuri relates that Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah made peace with the Samaritans in Jordan and Palestine, on condition that they be informants and guides for the Muslims, in return for the poll tax per head, with their land exempted. ¹

How their affair developed

The Muslims raided them once and took captives, until they returned to what they had been, and they were left alone; their affair ran until the author's time on their old peace. In the days of Yazid ibn Mu'awiya a land tax was imposed on their land and five dinars on each man's head. Al-Baladhuri describes the Samaritans as Jews of two kinds, the Dustan and the Kushan. ¹

At the beginning of al-Rashid's caliphate a devastating plague struck Palestine, and their land was ruined; the sultan appointed someone to cultivate it, and it became estates of the caliphate. In the year 246 some of the land tax was lifted from them. ¹

The date is approximate, around 15 AH, and the conversion is derived. Among the concepts of this peace is protection.

The Battle of Fihl

In al-Baladhuri: the battle of Fihl of al-Urdunn fell two nights remaining of Dhu al-Qa'da, five months after Umar ibn al-Khattab's accession, the people's commander being Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah — Umar having written to him investing him with Syria and the commanders concurring, together with Amir ibn Abi Waqqas, Sa'd's brother; some say Abu Ubayda's command reached him while the people were besieging Damascus and he concealed it from Khalid for days since Khalid commanded in war, telling him when asked 'I disliked to break you and weaken your standing while you were upon heights'; the battle's cause was Heraclius, come to Antioch, summoning the Romans and the people of the Jazira and setting over them a man of his intimates and trusted men, who met the Muslims at Fihl and fought them hardest until God gave them victory, their patrician and near ten thousand with him falling, the rest scattering through Syria's towns or joining Heraclius; Fihl's people fortified themselves and the Muslims besieged them until they asked safety on paying jizya for their heads and kharaj for their land, securing themselves and their wealth with their walls not to be demolished — Abu Ubayda concluding the compact, some say Shurahbil ibn Hasana.

The Treaty with the Samaritans

At a glance

In time

Overview

How their affair developed

Connections

People and things also explored

Sources

Time

The Battle of Fihl