The Jarajima

الجراجمة

The Jarajima, a community of the city al-Jurjuma on Jabal al-Lukkam between Bayyas and Buqa, clients of Antioch's patrician under Byzantium; the Muslims compounded with them to be auxiliaries, scouts and watchmen without jizya, granted the spoils of those they slew, the treaty taking in traders, hirelings and Nabataeans called the Rawadif; after Abd al-Malik secured them following Ibn al-Zubayr's fitna, al-Walid in year 88 took their city on terms that they settle where they wished in Syria at eight dinars a man plus provisions of wheat and oil for their households, none compelled to leave Christianity, wearing Muslim dress, no jizya on them or their children or wives, fighting beside the Muslims with the spoils of those they killed in single combat, and taxed on trade as the Muslims are — he then razed their city and settled them at Jabal al-Mawar, Sanh al-Lulun and the Tizin vale, some going to Hims; certain officials had imposed head-jizya on them at Antioch which they appealed to al-Wathiq, who remitted it, then al-Mutawakkil ordered it taken of them with stipends paid, since they were among those employed at the watchposts.

Overview

The Jarajima are a community from the town of Jurjuma (Jurjuma) on the Lukkam mountain between Bayas and Buqa. In the Roman period they were subject to the patriarch of Antioch. ¹

The treaty

The Muslims made peace with them on condition that they be helpers, informants and garrison guards, without poll tax, and that they be given a share of the spoils of those they killed. Merchants, hired workers and the Nabateans entered into their treaty, and so they were called the Rawadif. ¹ See the agreement with the Jarajima.

In the time of al-Walid

Al-Baladhuri reports that Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan secured their loyalty after the strife of Ibn al-Zubayr. Then al-Walid opened their city for them in the year 88 AH, on condition that they might settle wherever they chose in Syria, that each man receive eight dinars and food for his dependants of wheat and oil. They were not forced to leave Christianity, they wore the clothing of the Muslims, and there was no poll tax on them or on their children and women. They fought with the Muslims, and what was taken from their trade was what was taken from the Muslims. ¹

Al-Walid destroyed their town and settled them on the mountain of al-Mawar, the Sanh al-Lulun and the depths of Tizin, and some of them went to Homs. ¹

The poll tax afterwards

Some of the agents in Antioch imposed the head tax on them. They appealed to al-Wathiq, who waived it for them. Then al-Mutawakkil ordered it collected from them again, with their allowances continued, because they were among those used for garrison duty. ¹

Dhimma (the covenant of protection)

Dhimma in al-Baladhuri is the written covenant of security granted to treaty peoples of the Book: its formula in the Prophet'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.

The Jarajima

At a glance

Overview

The treaty

In the time of al-Walid

The poll tax afterwards

Connections

People and things also explored

Sources

Dhimma (the covenant of protection)