Qāʿidah fī Qitāl al-Kuffār - Ibn Taimiya - (214)

rather the recompense for his unbelief is the Fire of Hell, where he will abide for ever; and we have already shown that fighting was never mandated merely because of disbelief itself.

Accordingly, the utmost that jizyah and the condition of subjugation achieve is to spare his blood from the sword. The sword is not drawn solely on account of disbelief, nor can it lift from him the punishment of the Hereafter. Its purpose is to ward off his harm and aggression and to prevent him from turning others away from the faith. That harm is averted by imposing humiliation and jizyah under a covenant, for through such a covenant his hand and tongue are restrained (1).

Furthermore, he is not required to fight; instead, the Muslims fight on his behalf, protecting his life and property from his enemies. Thus, whatever is taken from him as fayʾ becomes a resource by which the people engaged in jihad may seek assistance.

(1) Shaykh al-Islam states in his Fatawa (20/101): “Worldly punishments do not reflect the relative magnitude of sins, for this life is not the realm of ultimate recompense—the Hereafter is. The penalties prescribed here serve only to deter corruption and aggression … Thus the non-Muslim dhimmi is allowed to live in return for the jizya tax, even though, by unanimous Muslim agreement, his sin of rejecting faith is greater than that of the fornicator or the murderer whom we put to death.”

جَزَاءُ كُفْرِهِ نَارُ جَهَنَّمُ خَالِدًا فِيْهَا أَبَدًا، وَنَحْنُ قَدْ بَيَّنَّا أَنْ القِتَالَ لَمْ يَكُنْ عَلَى مُجَرَّدِ كُفْرِهِ. فَغَايَةُ الجِزْيَةِ وَالصَّغَارِ: أَنْ تَكُوْنَ عَاصِمَةً لِدَمِهِ مِنَ السَّيْفِ، وَالسَّيْفُ لَمْ يُجِزْهُ عَلَى كُفْرٍ، وَلا دُفِعَ بِهِ عَنْهُ عُقُوْبَةَ الآخِرَة، بَلْ أُرِيْدَ دَفْعُ شَرِّهِ وَعُدْوَانِه، وَصَدِّهِ لِغَيْرِهِ عَنِ الدَّيْنِ، وَهَذَا الشَّرُّ يَزَوْلُ بِالصَّغَارِ وَالجَزْيَةِ مَعَ العَهْدِ، فَإِنَّه بِالصَّغَارِ مَعَ العَهْدِ كَفُّ يَدَهِ وَلِسَانَهِ (١). ثُمَّ إِنَّه لَيْسَ مِنْ أَهْلِ القِتَال، بَلْ المُسْلِمُونَ يُقَاتِلُوْنَ عَنْهُ وَيَحْفَظَونَ دَمَهُ وَمَالَهُ مِنْ عَدُوِّه، فَإِذَا أُخِذَ مِنْهُ مَا يَكُوْنُ فَيْئًا يَسْتَعِيْنُ بِهِ أَهْلَ الجِهَادِ

(١) قال شيخ الإسلام كما في الفتاوى (٢٠/ ١٠١): (إن العقوبة في الدنيا لا تدل على كبر الذنب وصغره، فإن الدنيا ليست دار الجزاء، وإنما دار الجزاء هي الآخرة، ولكن شرع من العقوبات في الدنيا ما يمنع الفساد والعدوان ... ولهذا يقر كفار أهل الذمة بالجزية مع أن ذنبهم في ترك الإيمان أعظم باتفاق المسلمين من ذنب من نقتله من زان وقاتل).