However, if the Muslims are strong and fully capable of engaging in jihad, no truce may be concluded.

Should the imam fear that the other party will breach the agreement, he must first declare the truce terminated before taking up arms against them, for Allah the Exalted says, “And if you fear treachery from any people, cast the treaty back to them in like manner; surely Allah does not love the treacherous” (Qur’an 8:58). In other words, inform them that the covenant has been annulled so that both sides are equally aware of its dissolution.

The imam is also permitted to establish a dhimmah pact with the People of the Book and with the Magians, meaning that they may remain upon their religion provided that they pay the jizya and abide by the public laws of Islam. Allah the Most High says, “Fight those who do not believe in Allah or the Last Day, who do not forbid what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden, and who do not embrace the religion of truth—among those who were given the Book—until they pay the jizya with their own hands while being humbled” (Qur’an 9:29). The jizya is a sum taken from them each year as a mark of submission, in lieu of killing them and while allowing them to reside in Muslim territory.

The jizya is not taken from a child, a woman, a person of unsound mind, the chronically ill, the blind, the infirm elderly, or from a pauper who is unable to pay.

Once they offer the jizya, it must be accepted, warfare against them becomes forbidden, and it is obligatory to protect them from any who would harm them. Allah the Exalted says, “until they pay the jizya,” making its payment the limit beyond which fighting must cease. Likewise, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Ask them for the jizya; if they comply, accept it from them and withhold from them.” And Allah knows best.