What are major points about aljiziah?

Answer 1

- Aljiziah is the Arabic word for the tax that was paid by some of the non-Muslims (mostly Christians & Jews) who met a certain criteria & were living in the Islamic community.

- All women, children, old men, slaves, priests were exempted from paying this tax.

- It was required only from rich able-bodied men in return of their protection by Muslims in the Islamic Empire, not participating in the wars fought by Muslims. Consequently, if an enemy attacks the Islamic country, Muslims have a duty to defend all the population including the non-Muslims who were not required to fight at all.

- All non-Muslims were enjoying their religious freedom & their civil rights.

- Any patient non-Muslim was exempted from paying it even if he was rich & young.

- Aljizia was of a much lesser value than that of zakat (Alums), which is the obligatory amount of money paid by any wealthy Muslim regardless of their young or old age, gender..etc. Also, Zakat is paid as 2.5% of all savings,jewelry, crops and property at the end of the year while jizia was not paid on such properties, it was only paid if they could afford it.

- Aljiziah was taken only from the non-Muslims who fought Muslims.

So, if there was a rich young non-Muslim from a nation or a tribe that didn't fight Muslims then he was exempted from paying it.

- Many historians & scholars talk fairly about this tax, for example:

Adam Metz, a Western historian, writes in the Islamic Civilization in the Fourth Century of the Hejra:

" The people of zimmah paid jizyah as per each one's ability. Jizyah was like civil defense tax. Therefore, only the person who was able to carry weapons paid such tax. Handicapped, hermits, and saints did not pay it unless they were well-off. Omar Ibnul-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered the leaders of armies: "Do not impose jizyah on women or children. Impose it only on those who are adults." The amount of jizyah was not beyond the ability of men; rather, it was easy to be paid. It did not exceed one dinar per annum during the age of the Prophet (PBUH) and four dinars during the age of the Umayyads. In this way, jizyah was imposed only on the third of the people of zimmah or even less".

Conclusion: Muslims pay the higher Zakah tax and are required to defend their country (including Jews and Christians.) Jews and Christians paid a lower tax and didn't need to ever fight. Isn't that very fair & PERFECT?

- It's worth mentioning the two following last points:

• All poor people (Muslims & non-Muslims) are given money from the Islamic government plus from the charity of the Muslims.
• Similar taxes (of the same concept) were paid before the advent of Islam.

  Its principle is mentioned even in the Old Testament. So, this concept was not invented by Muslims.