Zur'a ibn al-Nu'man

زرعة بن النعمان

Zur'a ibn al-Nu'man — by another naming al-Nu'man ibn Zur'a — of Banu Taghlib; in al-Baladhuri: he it was who adjured Umar ibn al-Khattab (may God be pleased with him) by God on Taghlib's behalf — 'they are a people of Arabs who would scorn the jizya, and a people of stout valour; let not your enemy gain strength against you by them' — whereupon Umar brought them back from flight and compounded with them for the double sadaqa.

Overview

Zur'a ibn al-Nu'man, or it is said al-Nu'man ibn Zur'a, of the Banu Taghlib. al-Baladhuri reports that he appealed to Umar on behalf of the Banu Taghlib, saying that they were a people of the Arabs who disdained the poll tax and that its severity would harm them. Umar brought them back after they had fled, and made peace with them at double the alms ¹.

He appears in the treaty with Taghlib as an intercessor with Umar ¹.

The Treaty with the Christian Taghlib

In al-Baladhuri through multiple chains: Umar ibn al-Khattab meant to take jizya from the Christian Taghlib, who fled — a body crossing the Euphrates for Byzantine lands — until al-Nu'man ibn Zur'a — or Zur'a ibn al-Nu'man — adjured him: 'Banu Taghlib are Arabs who would scorn the jizya and are a people of stout valour; let not your enemy gain strength against you by them'; Umar sent after them, brought them back and compounded with them for a doubling of the sadaqa taken from the Muslims on every grazing herd and acre — another chain has Umar ordering they be fought till destroyed or converted if they refused — and they accepted, saying 'since it is no jizya like the jizya of foreigners, we accept and keep our religion'; the treaty bound them not to baptize a child nor coerce one into their faith — Dawud ibn Kurdus holding they therefore had no dhimma, meaning they baptized in their faith — and Ali would say 'were I free to deal with Banu Taghlib I should have my way: kill their fighters and take their children captive, for they broke the covenant, their dhimma lapsing when they Christianized their children'; Umar sent Ziyad ibn Hudayr al-Asadi to take of them a half-tithe of their wealth, forbidding him to tithe a Muslim or a kharaj-paying dhimmi; Uthman ordered only gold and silver accepted of them until word came that Umar had taken double-sadaqa, whereupon he retracted; al-Zuhri held there is no sadaqa on the People of the Book's herds save the Christian Taghlib; and Sufyan al-Thawri, al-Awza'i, Malik ibn Anas, Ibn Abi Dhi'b, Abu Hanifa and Abu Yusuf all hold that the Taghlibi pays double what a Muslim pays on his land, livestock and wealth — the Iraqis taking double-sadaqa from the minor and the incompetent's land but nothing of their livestock, the Hijazis from both — all agreeing that what is taken of Taghlib's wealth is disposed as kharaj-money, being a substitute for jizya.

Zur'a ibn al-Nu'man

At a glance

Overview

Connections

People and things also explored

Sources

People

The Treaty with the Christian Taghlib