That ruling, then, applied to those Christians who had paid the jizya to him.

Later, when ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb conquered al-Shām and its people placed the jizya in his hand while humbled, an innumerable multitude of them—known only to Allah, Blessed and Exalted—islam—embraced Islam. The masses, the farmers, and others were for the most part Christians, and among the Muslims there was no one engaged in agriculture. In fact, because of their small numbers, the Muslims in Damascus possessed only a single mosque in which to pray. Yet before long most of the inhabitants of al-Shām and beyond entered Islam of their own free choice, not through coercion, for forcing the ahl al-dhimma (non-Muslim subjects) to accept Islam is impermissible, as the Most High says:

“There is no compulsion in religion; right guidance has become distinct from error. Whoever rejects false gods and believes in Allah has grasped the firmest handhold that never breaks, and Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. Allah is the Protector of those who believe; He brings them out of darkness into light. As for those who disbelieve, their allies are the false gods; they take them from light into darkness. Those are the people of the Fire, and there they will abide forever.” (Sūrat al-Baqarah, 2:256–257).