sold, even though such land may be inherited and given away; there is no disagreement on this. Rather, the public treasury’s holdings in these lands should be sold, as should its share of the yield, which is equivalent to land tax.

Another view is that these should not be sold, because doing so would squander the rights of the Muslims.

He was asked:

If the Tatars enter Syria and plunder the property of Christians and Muslims, and the Muslims subsequently plunder the Tatars and strip their dead of their possessions, is the property taken from them, including the possessions stripped from their dead, lawful or not?

He answered:

One fifth of everything taken from the Tatars is to be set aside, and it is permissible to benefit from it.

He—may Allah have mercy on him—was asked:

Regarding a poor man living away from home who regularly observes the five daily prayers: if he receives a stipend from the ruler that provides his subsistence and spares him from begging, is he sinful? Would he be granted leniency?

The Answer

He answered:

Yes, if the ruler gives someone like this enough to meet his needs from the funds of