Mu'adh's Counsel on the Land of Syria at al-Jabiya

In al-Baladhuri's account, Umar ibn al-Khattab came to al-Jabiya and wanted to divide the land of Syria among the Muslims, because it had been conquered by force. Mu'adh ibn Jabal advised him otherwise, and he took his advice. ¹

Mu'adh said, according to the report from Abd Allah ibn Qays al-Hamdani, that division would put much wealth in the hands of a people who would then perish, leaving it to one man; then people would come after them who would close their mouths from Islam and find nothing, and he sought an affair that would suffice for the first of them and the last. ¹

Umar left the land in the hands of its people, in return for the poll tax on heads and the land tax on the land. The data say that he thereby established the land tax of the Sawad of Syria. ²

For the two concepts see the spoils and the land tax.

The date is approximately 16 AH, and derived.