Dhimmi

A dhimmi ( , (collectively أهل الذمة ahl al-dhimmah , "the people of the dhimma or people of the contract"; Ottoman Turkish & Urdu zimmi ), one whose zimma [responsibility of protection] has been taken") is a non- Muslim subject of a state governed in accordance with sharia law . The term connotes several restrictions, such as a poll tax on non-muslims jizya , restricted freedom of religion and worship, and obligatory loyalty to the ruling Islamic state . This status was originally made available to non-Muslims who were People of the Book (i.e. Jews and Christians ), however later in rare occasions it extended to include Zoroastrians , Mandeans and, in some areas, Hindus and Buddhists . Dhimmi had fewer legal and social rights than Muslims, but more rights than other non-Muslims. This status applied to millions of people living from the Atlantic Ocean to India from the 7th century until modern times.

Political Islamic leadership Caliphate Majlis-ash-Shura Imamate Wilayat al-faqih Bay'ah Dhimmi Aman Family Criminal Etiquette Adab Gender segregation ( Purdah ) Mahram Honorifics Toilet Economic Hygiene Military Jihad Ghanimah Hudna Istijarah (asylum) Prisoners of war Social Haqq al-Nas ( The right(s) of the people ) Islamic studies v t e A dhimmī ( ḏimmī , , collectively أهل الذمة ahl al-ḏimmah / dhimmah "the people of the dhimma ") is a historical term referring to non- Muslim citizens of an Islamic state . The word literally means "protected person." According to scholars, dhimmis had their rights fully protected in their communities, but as citizens in the Islamic state, had certain restrictions, and it was obligatory for them to pay the jizya tax. Dhimmis were excluded from specific duties assigned to Muslims, and did not enjoy certain political rights reserved for Muslims, but were otherwise equal under the laws of property, contract, and obligation. They were also exempted from the zakat tax paid by Muslims. Under sharia , the dhimmi communities were usually subjected to their own special laws, rather than some of the laws which were applicable only to the Muslim community. These courts did not cover cases that involved religious groups outside of their own community, or capital offences. Dhimmi communities were also allowed to engage in certain practices that were usually forbidden for the Muslim community, such as the consumption of alcohol and pork. Historically, dhimmi status was originally applied to Jews, Christians , and Sabians . This status later also came to be applied to Zoroastrians , Mandaeans , Hindus , and Buddhists . Eventually, the Hanafi , the largest school of Islamic jurisprudence , applied this term to all non-Muslims living in Islamic lands outside the sacred area surrounding Mecca , in present-day Saudi Arabia . Some modern Hanafi scholars, however, do not make any legal distinction between a non-Muslim dhimmi and a Muslim citizen. Dhimmis are non-Muslims who live within Islamdom and have a regulated and protected status. ... Muslims and Modernity: An Introduction to the Issues and Debates . Patrick Glenn, Legal Traditions of the World . Patrick Glenn, Legal Traditions of the World . Al-Misri, Reliance of the Traveler (ed. and trans. The conqueror Muhammad Ibn Al Qasem gave both Hindus and Buddhists the same status as the Christians, Jews and Sabaeans the Middle East. They were all "dhimmi" ('protected people') al-Misri, Ahmad ibn Naqib .

Political Islamic leadership Caliphate Majlis-ash-Shura Imamate Wilayat al-faqih Bay'ah Dhimmi Aman Family Criminal Etiquette Adab Gender segregation ( Purdah ) Mahram Honorifics Toilet Economic Hygiene Military Jihad Ghanimah Hudna Istijarah (asylum) Prisoners of war Social Haqq al-Nas ( The right(s) of the people ) Islamic studies v t e Dhimmī ( ḏimmī , , collectively أهل الذمة ahl ul-ḏimmah / dhimmah "the people of the dhimma ") is a historical term referring to non- Muslims living in an Islamic state with legal protection. The word literally means "protected person", referring to the state's obligation under sharia to protect the individual's life, property, and freedom of religion, in exchange for loyalty to the state and payment of the jizya tax, which complemented the zakat , or obligatory alms, paid by the Muslim subjects. Dhimmis were exempt from certain duties assigned specifically to Muslims, and did not enjoy certain privileges and freedoms reserved for Muslims, but were otherwise equal under the laws of property, contract, and obligation. Under sharia , the dhimmi communities were usually governed by their own laws in place of some of the laws applicable to the Muslim community. These courts did not cover cases that involved religious groups outside of their own community, or capital offences. Dhimmi communities were also allowed to engage in certain practices that were usually forbidden for the Muslim community, such as the consumption of alcohol and pork . Historically, dhimmi status was originally applied to Jews , Christians , and Sabians , who are considered to be People of the Book in Islamic theology. This status later also came to be applied to Zoroastrians , Sikhs , Hindus , Jains and Buddhists . Moderate Muslims generally reject the dhimma system as inappropriate for the age of nation-states and democracies. There is a range of opinions among 20th century and contemporary theologians about whether the notion of dhimma is appropriate for modern times, and, if so, what form it should take in an Islamic state. Dhimmis are non-Muslims who live within Islamdom and have a regulated and protected status. ... In the modern period, this term has generally has occasionally been resuscitated, but it is generally obsolete. Legal Traditions of the World . A Dhimmi is a non-Muslim subject of a state governed in accordance to sharia law. The term connotes an obligation of the state to protect the individual, including the individual's life, property, and freedom of religion and worship, and required loyalty to the empire, and a poll tax known as the jizya, which complemented the Islamic tax paid by the Muslim subjects, called Zakat. Patrick Glenn, Legal Traditions of the World . The French scholar Gustave Le Bon (the author of La civilisation des Arabes ) writes "that despite the fact that the incidence of taxation fell more heavily on a Muslim than a non-Muslim, the non-Muslim was free to enjoy equally well with every Muslim all the privileges afforded to the citizens of the state. The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists . According to the dhimma status system, non-Muslims must pay a poll tax in return for Muslim protection and the privilege of living in Muslim territory. Per this system, non-Muslims are exempt from military service, but they are excluded from occupying high positions that involve dealing with high state interests, like being the president or prime minister of the country. In Islamic history, non-Muslims did occupy high positions, especially in matters that related to fiscal policies or tax collection. Al-Misri, Reliance of the Traveler (ed. and trans. The conqueror Muhammad Ibn Al Qasem gave both Hindus and Buddhists the same status as the Christians, Jews and Sabaeans the Middle East. They were all "dhimmi" ('protected people') Michael Bonner (2008). Jihad in Islamic History . "[…] the overwhelming majority of moderate Muslims reject the dhimma system as ahistorical, in the sense that it is inappropriate for the age of nation-states and democracies." Abou El Fadl, Khaled (23 January 2007). The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists .

Historical term for non-Muslims living in an Islamic state with legal protection Political Islamic leadership Caliphate Majlis-ash-Shura Imamate Wilayat al-faqih Bay'ah Dhimmi Aman Family Criminal Etiquette Adab Gender segregation ( Purdah ) Mahram Honorifics Toilet Economic Hygiene Military Jihad Ghanimah Hudna Istijarah (asylum) Prisoners of war Social Haqq al-Nas ( The right(s) of the people ) Islamic studies v t e Dhimmī ( ḏimmī , , collectively أهل الذمة ʾahl aḏ-ḏimmah / dhimmah "the people of the covenant") or muʿāhid ( معاهد ) is a historical term for non-Muslims living in an Islamic state with legal protection. The word literally means "protected person", referring to the state's obligation under sharia to protect the individual's life, property, as well as freedom of religion, in exchange for loyalty to the state and payment of the jizya tax, in contrast to the zakat , or obligatory alms, paid by the Muslim subjects. Dhimmi were exempt from certain duties assigned specifically to Muslims if they paid the poll tax ( jizya ) but were otherwise equal under the laws of property, contract, and obligation. Historically, dhimmi status was originally applied to Jews , Christians , and Sabians , who are considered to be " People of the Book " in Islamic theology. This status later also came to be applied to Zoroastrians , Sikhs , Hindus , Jains , and Buddhists . Jews and Christians were required to pay the jizyah while others, depending on the different rulings of the four Madhhabs , might be required to accept Islam, pay the jizya, be exiled, or be killed. During the rule of al-Mutawakkil , the tenth Abbasid Caliph , numerous restrictions reinforced the second-class citizen status of dhimmīs and forced their communities into ghettos. They were not permitted to build new churches or synagogues, but only to repair old ones. Under Sharia , the dhimmi communities were usually governed by their own laws in place of some of the laws applicable to the Muslim community . These courts did not cover cases that involved religious groups outside of their own communities, or capital offences. Dhimmi communities were also allowed to engage in certain practices that were usually forbidden for the Muslim community, such as the consumption of alcohol and pork . Some Muslims reject the dhimma system as inappropriate for the age of nation-states and democracies. There is a range of opinions among 20th-century and contemporary Islamic theologians about whether the notion of dhimma is appropriate for modern times, and, if so, what form it should take in an Islamic state. There are differences among the Islamic Madhhabs regarding which non-Muslims can pay jizya and have dhimmi status. The Hanafi and Maliki Madhabs allow non-Muslims in general to have dhimmi status. In contrast, the Shafi'i and Hanbali Madhabs only allow Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians to have dhimmi status, while maintaining all other non-Muslims must either convert to Islam or be fought. Dhimmis are non-Muslims who live within Islamdom and have a regulated and protected status. ... In the modern period, this term has generally has occasionally been resuscitated, but it is generally obsolete. Legal Traditions of the World . A Dhimmi is a non-Muslim subject of a state governed in accordance to sharia law. The term connotes an obligation of the state to protect the individual, including the individual's life, property, and freedom of religion and worship, and required loyalty to the empire, and a poll tax known as the jizya, which complemented the Islamic tax paid by the Muslim subjects, called Zakat. Patrick Glenn, Legal Traditions of the World . The French scholar Gustave Le Bon (the author of La civilisation des Arabes ) writes "that despite the fact that the incidence of taxation fell more heavily on a Muslim than a non-Muslim, the non-Muslim was free to enjoy equally well with every Muslim all the privileges afforded to the citizens of the state. The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists . According to the dhimma status system, non-Muslims must pay a poll tax in return for Muslim protection and the privilege of living in Muslim territory. Per this system, non-Muslims are exempt from military service, but they are excluded from occupying high positions that involve dealing with high state interests, like being the president or prime minister of the country. In Islamic history, non-Muslims did occupy high positions, especially in matters that related to fiscal policies or tax collection. The conqueror Muhammad Ibn Al Qasem gave both Hindus and Buddhists the same status as the Christians, Jews and Sabaeans of the Middle East. They were all "dhimmi" ('protected people') Michael Bonner (2008). Jihad in Islamic History: Doctrines and Practice . Jihad in Islamic History . To begin with, there was no forced conversion, no choice between "Islam and the Sword". Islamic law, following a clear Quranic principle (2:256), prohibited any such things [...] although there have been instances of forced conversion in Islamic history, these have been exceptional. Quote: The laws of Muslim warfare forbid any forced conversions, and regard them as invalid if they occur. The Torah itself set forth rules for dress that set Jews apart from the communities in which they lived. The first of the other Abrahamic religions to impose a distinctive mode of dress on Jews was Islam , beginning with decrees set forth by the Abbasid caliph Al-Mutawakkil obliging non-Muslims (dhimmis) to wear distinctive marks, – buttons on their caps, patches on their sleeves, and generally honey-coloured garbs, – on their clothing in order to mark them off from members of the Muslim communities.'; ‘a twelfth century synod decreed the first of many edicts requiring Jews to don peculiar garb. These outfits marked Jews as Otherly-to be shunned, despised, …and sometimes murdered… . But Jews also dressed differently in premodern Europe because their rabbis understood any emulation of non-Jews as a violation of the divine law as revealed by God to Moses atop Mount Sinai. The Five Books of Moses, after all, together called the Torah, clearly specify that Jews must adhere to a particular dress code-modesty, for example, and fringes. The very structure of the cosmos demanded nothing less. Clothing, too, served as a "fence" that protected Jews from the profanities and pollutions of the non-Jewish societies in which they dwelled. Al-Misri, Reliance of the Traveler (ed. and trans. "[…] the overwhelming majority of moderate Muslims reject the dhimma system as ahistorical, in the sense that it is inappropriate for the age of nation-states and democracies." Abou El Fadl, Khaled (2007). The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists . Definition of jizyah, its rate and who has to pay it – Islam Guide

Non-Muslims living in an Islamic state Political Islamic leadership Caliphate Majlis-ash-Shura Imamate Wilayat al-faqih Bay'ah Dhimmi Aman Family Criminal Etiquette Adab Gender segregation ( Purdah ) Mahram Honorifics Toilet Economic Hygiene Military Jihad Ghanimah Hudna Istijarah (asylum) Prisoners of war Social Haqq al-Nas ( The right(s) of the people ) Islamic studies v t e Dhimmī ( Arabic : ذمي ḏimmī , IPA: [ˈðimmiː] , collectively أهل الذمة ʾahl aḏ-ḏimmah / dhimmah "the people of the covenant") or muʿāhid ( معاهد ) is a historical term for non-Muslims living in an Islamic state with legal protection. The word literally means "protected person", referring to the state's obligation under sharia to protect the individual's life, property, as well as freedom of religion, in exchange for loyalty to the state and payment of the jizya tax, in contrast to the zakat , or obligatory alms, paid by the Muslim subjects. Dhimmi were exempt from military service and other duties assigned specifically to Muslims if they paid the poll tax ( jizya ) but were otherwise equal under the laws of property, contract, and obligation. Dhimmis were subject to specific restrictions as well, which were codified in agreements like the Pact of ʿUmar . These included prohibitions on building new places of worship, repairing existing ones in areas where Muslims lived, teaching children the Qurʾān, and preventing relatives from converting to Islam. They were also required to wear distinctive clothing, refrain from carrying weapons, and avoid riding on saddles. Historically, dhimmi status was originally applied to Jews , Christians , and Sabians , who are considered " People of the Book " in Islamic theology . Later, this status was also applied to Zoroastrians , Sikhs , Hindus , Jains , and Buddhists . Jews, Christians and others were required to pay the jizyah , and forced conversions were forbidden. During the rule of al-Mutawakkil , the tenth Abbasid Caliph , numerous restrictions reinforced the second-class citizen status of dhimmīs and forced their communities into ghettos. They were not permitted to build new churches or synagogues or repair old churches without Muslim consent according to the Pact of Umar . Under Sharia , the dhimmi communities were usually governed by their own laws in place of some of the laws applicable to the Muslim community . These courts did not cover cases that involved religious groups outside of their own communities, or capital offences. Dhimmi communities were also allowed to engage in certain practices that were usually forbidden for the Muslim community, such as the consumption of alcohol and pork . Some Muslims reject the dhimma system by arguing that it is a system which is inappropriate in the age of nation-states and democracies. There is a range of opinions among 20th-century and contemporary Islamic theologians about whether the notion of dhimma is appropriate for modern times, and, if so, what form it should take in an Islamic state. There are differences among the Islamic Madhhabs regarding which non-Muslims can pay jizya and have dhimmi status. The Hanafi and Maliki Madhabs generally allow non-Muslims to have dhimmi status. In contrast, the Shafi'i and Hanbali Madhabs only allow Christians, Unitarians, Jews, Sabeans and Zoroastrians to have dhimmi status, and they maintain that all other non-Muslims must either convert to Islam or be fought. Dhimmis are non-Muslims who live within Islamdom and have a regulated and protected status. ... In the modern period, this term has generally has occasionally been resuscitated, but it is generally obsolete. Legal Traditions of the World . A Dhimmi is a non-Muslim subject of a state governed in accordance to sharia law. The term connotes an obligation of the state to protect the individual, including the individual's life, property, and freedom of religion and worship, and required loyalty to the empire, and a poll tax known as the jizya, which complemented the Islamic tax paid by the Muslim subjects, called Zakat. Patrick Glenn, Legal Traditions of the World . The French scholar Gustave Le Bon (the author of La civilisation des Arabes ) writes "that despite the fact that the incidence of taxation fell more heavily on a Muslim than a non-Muslim, the non-Muslim was free to enjoy equally well with every Muslim all the privileges afforded to the citizens of the state. The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists . According to the dhimma status system, non-Muslims must pay a poll tax in return for Muslim protection and the privilege of living in Muslim territory. Per this system, non-Muslims are exempt from military service, but they are excluded from occupying high positions that involve dealing with high state interests, like being the president or prime minister of the country. In Islamic history, non-Muslims did occupy high positions, especially in matters that related to fiscal policies or tax collection. Religion and law in Medieval Christian and Muslim Societies. The conqueror Muhammad Ibn Al Qasem gave both Hindus and Buddhists the same status as the Christians, Jews and Sabaeans of the Middle East. They were all "dhimmi" ('protected people') Michael Bonner (2008). Jihad in Islamic History: Doctrines and Practice . Jihad in Islamic History . To begin with, there was no forced conversion, no choice between "Islam and the Sword". Islamic law, following a clear Quranic principle (2:256), prohibited any such things [...] although there have been instances of forced conversion in Islamic history, these have been exceptional. Quote: The laws of Muslim warfare forbid any forced conversions, and regard them as invalid if they occur. War and Peace in the Law of Islam . The Torah itself set forth rules for dress that set Jews apart from the communities in which they lived. The first of the other Abrahamic religions to impose a distinctive mode of dress on Jews was Islam , beginning with decrees set forth by the Abbasid caliph Al-Mutawakkil obliging non-Muslims (dhimmis) to wear distinctive marks, – buttons on their caps, patches on their sleeves, and generally honey-coloured garbs, – on their clothing in order to mark them off from members of the Muslim communities.'; ‘a twelfth century [Christian] synod decreed the first of many edicts which required Jews to don peculiar garb. These outfits marked Jews as Otherly-to be shunned, despised, …and sometimes murdered… . But Jews also dressed differently in premodern Europe because their rabbis understood any emulation of non-Jews as a violation of the divine law as revealed by God to Moses atop Mount Sinai. The Five Books of Moses, after all, together called the Torah, clearly specify that Jews must adhere to a particular dress code-modesty, for example, and fringes. The very structure of the cosmos demanded nothing less. Clothing, too, served as a "fence" that protected Jews from the profanities and pollutions of the non-Jewish societies in which they dwelled. Al-Misri, Reliance of the Traveler (ed. and trans. "[…] the overwhelming majority of moderate Muslims reject the dhimma system as ahistorical, in the sense that it is inappropriate for the age of nation-states and democracies." Abou El Fadl, Khaled (2007). The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists .