Why does Islam have Jizyah (money paid by non-Muslims in the Islamic State) law?
The sections of this article are:
- What does the Noble Quran say about Jizyah?
- Why Jizyah? And how much are the taxes for both Muslims and non-Muslims?
What does the Noble Quran say about Jizyah?
Let us look at what Allah Almighty Said in the Noble Quran regarding Jizyah:
"O ye who believe! Truly the Pagans are unclean; So let them not, After this year of theirs, Approach the Sacred Mosque. And if ye fear poverty, Soon will Allah enrich you, If He wills, out of His bounty, For Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.
Fight those who believe not in God nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by God and His Apostle, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book (i.e., Jews and Christians), until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. (The Noble Quran, 9:28-29)"
Before I explain why Allah Almighty ordered the Muslims to fight the Pagans and the People of the Book until they all either submit to Islam or pay the "Jizyah", I'd like to point out that many people were exempt from the "Jizyah" or "taxes":
"Jizyah: the root meaning is compensation.......there were exemptions for the poor, for females and children (according to Abu Hanifah), for slaves, and for monks and hermits. Being a tax on able-bodied males of military age, it was in a sense a commutation for military service." [2]
As to the fighting, when Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him started spreading the Message of Islam to the Arabs, he had to eventually deal with 365 Pagan Arab tribes, 3 Jewish tribes (Bani Qaynuqaa, Bani Al-Natheer, and Bani Quraytha) and some Christian tribes as well.
The Muslims did not live Islam easily 1400 years ago. They had to deal with many battles that were imposed upon them. They also had to deal with many betrayals done by other tribes who broke their peace treaties with the Muslims and joined as alliance with other enemy tribes and fought the Muslims.
Please visit The betrayal of Bani Uraina to the Muslims.
Can Muslims torture prisoners of war?
Prophet Muhammad taking revenges for himself and committing murders is a lie! Does Islam really encourage Muslims to take revenge? Absolutely Not!
Why did Muhammad take up arms and Christ didn't? Why did Islam spread by the sword if it were indeed a Religion of Truth, and Christianity didn't? See my response to this misunderstanding. Did you know that even Jesus killed his enemies in the Bible?
Does Islam really encourage Muslims to take revenge?
Forgiveness and revenge in Islam. There is a difference between being a peaceful person, and a coward hypocrite in Islam.
Notice that in Noble Verse 9:28 above, Allah Almighty was referring to a certain situation that the Muslims had to face. "After this year..." clearly and unquestionably suggests that Noble Verses 9:28-29 are for a situation that existed 1400 years ago. They don't necessarily have to apply today.
Why Jizyah? And how much are the taxes for both Muslims and non-Muslims?
It is prohibited to kill non-Muslims in Muslim lands or under the Islamic ruling: "Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it set in a spring of murky water: Near it he found a People: We said: 'O Zul-qarnain! (thou hast authority,) either to punish them, or to treat them with kindness.' (The Noble Quran, 18:86)" In this Noble Verse we see that if the enemy wants to do us harm, then we must punish those who did us harm. Otherwise, we must treat the enemy civilians and the innocents with kindness.
Please visit Does Islam really allow the killing of innocent unbelievers? for more details.
The Muslims have to pay taxes (which is 2.5 percent of their annual income) under the name of "Zakah" to the "Muslim Financial Institute" or the "House of the Muslim Money" which all goes to provide welfare to the poor and the needy citizens; from both Muslims and non-Muslims. The poor and the needy (such as the Orphans, Widows and the disabled) from the Muslims are exempt from paying taxes.
The non-Muslims have to pay the same amount under the name of "Jizyah", which is taxes that don't go to help poor and needy Muslims, but instead, it goes to the government to (1) Provide protection for them since they are a minority; (2) Provide means for them to practice their religions freely by building Temples or Churches for them.
The amount varied for the non-Muslims a little from cases to cases, but they were all close to the 2.5% of the annual income range.
As I mentioned above for the non-Muslims, there are exemptions for the poor, for females and children (according to Abu Hanifah), for slaves, and for monks and hermits.
It is important to know that the law in the Islamic State applies to everyone; both Muslims and non-Muslims equally. Meaning, that murderers and rapists get executed, adulterers and adulteresses get flogged 100 stripes, etc...
Muslim citizens are not superior over the non-Muslim citizens in the Islamic State. All people are treated equally as far as the Islamic Law is concerned.
If Muslims conquered a State by a war, then only those who fought the Muslims are to be taken as slaves. But then later, they must be given their freedom if they request it and be paid money too. Please visit:
Can a slave request his freedom from his Muslim Master and be granted his freedom in Islam? Yes. The Muslim Master must pay him/her money too to get a nice jump start in life too according to the Noble Quran.
Please also visit Human equality, liberty and freedom in Islam V.S. Christianity.
Bibliography:
1- The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an.
Author: Abdullah Yusuf Ali.
Published by: Amana Publications, 10710 Tucker Street, Suite B, Beltsville, Maryland
20705-2223 USA.
Telephone: (301) 595-5777.
Fax: (301) 595-5888.
ISBN: 0-91597-59-0 (HC).
2- The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an [1]. Foot Note #1281, page 445.
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